Charles Barkley Trolls Lakers After Another Blowout Loss to the Thunder

Charles Barkley has been heavily skeptical of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“They’re not a contender,” Barkley said on “Inside the NBA” in mid-March, and it was not the first nor the last time he said it this season.

The Lakers threatened to make Barkley eat his words. In March, All-NBA and All-Star guard Luka Doncic went scorched earth en route to his second scoring title. But then, Doncic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, and he hasn’t played since. That tanked the Lakers’ playoff hopes before the playoffs started on April 18.

While LeBron James willed the Lakers to a 4-2 series win over the Houston Rockets in the first round, he alone isn’t enough to beat the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder have yet to lose in these playoffs, having swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round and now holding a 3-0 series lead over Los Angeles.

After the Thunder clocked the Lakers 131-108 in Game 3 on Saturday night, Barkley took his victory lap.

Ernie Johnson welcomed audiences into “Inside the NBA” while Barkley was sweeping the studio with a broom - not-so-coincidentally walking in front of the Lakers’ logo:

It’s conventional wisdom now that the Lakers will more than likely get swept by the Thunder on Monday night. The Lakers have lost the first three games by an average of 19.6 points.

After losing Game 3, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he’s “not giving up on the series” and still believes the Lakers can beat the Thunder, even though the Thunder are 7-0 against the Lakers this season, including regular season and playoffs.

If Monday is James’ last game in a Lakers uniform, Laker Nation will be left to wonder all summer what could have been if Doncic hadn’t strained his hamstring.

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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 5:19 PM.