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Lakers Beat Kings in OT During First Barkley Color Commentating
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After the Lakers’ loss in the first round of the 2006 playoffs to the Phoenix Suns, Charles Barkley took a stance against the Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Barkley, the former Phoenix Suns power forward and now a commentator for TNT, puzzlingly criticized Kobe Bryant as being “selfish” for shooting only three times in Game 7 of a series where the Lakers’ game plan called for more team involvement.
But on Thursday night, Barkley, filling in for Steve Kerr as color commentator for the Lakers’ visit to the Kings, was singing a somewhat different tune. Charles called Bryant "the best basketball player in the NBA," and referenced the greatness of Wade, Lebron, and Nash.
Barkley also mentioned that with Bryant becoming a better distributor, the game will open up not only for Kobe’s teammates, but for Bryant himself because defenders will now be kept honest in their defense having to guard the whole team instead of sending triple teams at Bryant all night as most.
Evidence of Kobe’s improved offensive decision-making was seen not long after Barkley gave praise where praise was due when Kobe's choice to pass to a cutting Smush Parker for a lay-up sent the game to overtime leading to a Laker win over Sacramento. Looks as though Barkley's change of heart with Bryant came just in the nick of time, not unlike Parker's game-tying bucket which dropped with .1 seconds remaining.
