The NBA is in a different space than it used to be. While the competitive nature is still there, the aggression and physicality has disappeared due to new rules and newly implemented fines that keep players from going overboard. However, you can’t forget the aggression and competitive spirit that many retired NBA players like Charles Oakley and Charles Barkley used to have, and apparently neither can they.
In a statement made on TNT’s Inside The NBA, Charles Barkley said that the Atlanta Hawks should have taken out a Cleveland Cavaliers player for the way they were getting defeated in their playoff game, saying "The Atlanta Hawks got to take somebody out. Let me tell you something. Take ‘em out! You’re not trying to hurt them. When a team is just embarrassing you, shooting threes when the game is way over, just trying to set a record, you have to knock the hell out of them. Not for this game, but to set the tone for the next game."
This was in reference to a game where the score ended up being 123-98, with the Cavs setting a new NBA three-point shooting record of 25 shots made during the game. However, well-documented rival, former NBA player, and Cleveland native Charles Oakley fired back at Barkley via Twitter, saying “Charles Barkley, you better stop talking s*** about Cleveland you was never tough you hide behind TNT.”
The two have a history of altercations during their time playing in the NBA, on and off the court, with the last altercation resulting in Charles Oakley slapping Barkley in the face according to the New York Daily News.
Source: complex.com
