Skip Bayless has laid down the gauntlet for his broadcasting nemesis Charles Barkley, revealing his wife’s fear of the retired NBA great based on perceived threats.
For his hot takes and immense LeBron James hate, Bayless has caught the ire of Barkley for close to two decades. He decided to clap back in an emotional indictment to turn the tide of resistance.
“I said look I don’t care about any of the other criticism he can rip, he can slash, he can say whatever he wants. Just for Ernestine’s sake could he please stop using the K-word. Please, no more kill.”
A History Of Disrespect
Back in 2017, Barkley went on “The Dan Patrick Show,” saying if he were dying from a disease, his last act would be to kill Skip Bayless.
Barkley: “You know what we should do for ratings? If I get a disease and I’m gonna die, how about you get Skip Bayless in here and I’ll kill him live on national television.”
Patrick: “I like it. Like pay-per-view.”
Barkley: “No, no, no. Just get him in here. Only when I know I’mma die — ’cause I just want to get Skip Bayless in a room one time and beat him like a dog.”
Patrick: “So you’d kill him.”
Barkley: “Yes. Only if I knew I was gonna die. Not if I’m gonna live, cause I don’t wanna go to prison. ’Cause like Mahorn say, ‘they would love you in prison.'”
https://twitter.com/shannonsharpeee/status/1501936285686001665?s=20&t=Vrjbxg7jD-EdIkEXi_4LMw
Barkley Digs In
Barkley has continued his verbal assault on Bayless through the years on his platforms, and Bayless is speaking out about his wife’s fears.
“My wife, Ernestine, has believed for 15 years that Charles Barkley is nothing but a sick individual. [She believes] That to her, he is just pure evil. That he is depraved. That he is a scumbag. And she believes or fears that one day Charles will somehow, maybe unwittingly or maybe wittingly, inspire some other nut to end my life.
“And this haunts her. This hurts her because she believes that in the end, Charles Barkley would have my blood on his hands. And if that were Charles’s goal from the start, if that was his goal, then I congratulate him because he wins on this one. He has hurt my wife deeply, and she has lost much sleep over this.”
.@RealSkipBayless thanks Charles Barkley for the publicity he's given him
"I realized he watches Undisputed religiously…I could make the case he's been my #1 viewer in TV Land." pic.twitter.com/FyrlOQQx7s
— The Skip Bayless Show (@SkipBaylessShow) March 10, 2022
Practice What You Preach
Bayless is loathed among many NBA circles for his takes on athletes like LeBron James. The co-host of “Undisputed with Shannon and Skip” constantly berates players like Russell Westbrook, who he led the charge against by labeling him “Westbrick.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXU7f8kwIf4
Ironically, Westbrook clapped back at fans who called him the name while playing and detailed how the disrespect now feels personal and affects his family.
Still, Bayless feels that Barkley has crossed a line, and he is willing to defend himself even if it only encourages Barkley’s verbal offensive.
“I warned her this will probably just fuel his fire, and I was right about that because after the request was made by John Wildhack to David Levy, it seemed to my ear that Charles only intensified his use of the k-word when talking about me.”
