Charles Barkley is one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a NBA court. During his time as an analyst, he has proven that he is one of the most opinionated and outspoken individuals in the public eye. In recent news, Barkley had some harsh things to say about Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins, and, in turn, Cousins fired back with his own installment of bold statements. Even though there seems to be no love between the two, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN's First Take had an interesting take on the situation. He referred to the budding rivalry as "black on black crime."
Charles established himself as one of basketball's most dominant power forwards after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. Throughout his career, he earned himself a multitude of awards, and in 2010, he was named to the basketball Hall of Fame.
Likewise, DeMarcus Cousins has also proven himself as one of the NBA's more talented players.
During his short time as a professional, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First team, and he was honored this year as a member of the NBA All-Star game.
Cousins contribution to the failing Sacramento Kings is priceless. In turn, it makes sense that rumors would start surrounding Cousins' level of authority. According to USA Today, this is where the rivalry between Cousins and Barkley started:
"Charles Barkley [recently] ranted against the reliance on analytics...but Kings center and All-Star DeMarcus Cousins isn't letting Barkley's frequent criticism bother him...Amid reports that the Kings were consulting Cousins on the hire of coach George Karl, Barkley was incredulous that the team would value his opinion so highly...On Saturday, Cousins said that he didn't have "anything to do" with Karl's hiring and [said this in reference to Charles,] 'It ain't personal. I mean, I don't really respect the guy, but at the same time, I don't really care what he thinks either.'"
True, Cousins' clearly stated that he doesn't respect Barkley. However, the popular Stephen A. Smith of ESPN's First Take claimed otherwise:
"DeMarcus Cousins, who grew up admiring Charles Barkley, took great offense to it, and from that standpoint... has been very unforgiving...[Also,] Charles doesn't always say things the right way, or that is politically correct... I can understand how Cousins may be offended by [Barkley's statements]... But the ways these guys are going at it on a personal level.. I consider it black on black crime..."
What do you think about the situation? Is black on black crime a step too far? Let us know in the comment section below.
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