awfulannouncing
On Wednesday night's Inside the NBA broadcast on ESPN, the panel—Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Chris Webber—engaged in a serious conversation about Veterans Day and the veterans in their own lives. Barkley, whose father served in the military and later worked for Veterans Affairs, took the opportunity to advocate for improved government support for veterans.
"We talk a good game, but we don't do nearly enough for our veterans," Barkley stated. "Our government has to do better. We should always show them love, but our government has to do better for our veterans." He continued, emphasizing the physical and mental toll on service members: "If you give your body, a lot of people have passed away, some of these other guys are injured, and obviously there is the mental strain that none of us—"
Before Barkley could finish his thought, Smith's phone rang loudly, causing Barkley's eyes to widen in apparent shock at the interruption. Smith quickly silenced the device, and Barkley resumed his message: "—the mental strain that these guys are under once you are in the service. So we need to do better with our servicemen, plain and simple."
The ringtone seemed to announce the caller as Steve Apostolopoulos. Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry are part of an ownership group bidding for the NBA's Las Vegas expansion team. Stephen A. Smith recently disclosed that Kenny Smith is also part of that group and could become the franchise's president of basketball operations if the bid succeeds.
While Tom Brady has demonstrated that it's possible to be involved in an ownership group while working in media, Smith isn't even part of an ownership group yet, and his phone is already disrupting his Inside the NBA duties. One can only imagine how often his phone would ring as president of basketball operations. Ernie Johnson has already announced that this will be his final season on Inside, and Charles Barkley has said he plans to follow his longtime colleague. If Kenny Smith ends up being part of the winning bid for the Las Vegas franchise, his exit from Inside might not be far behind.
Key Analysis
The interruption not only broke the solemnity of Barkley's Veterans Day tribute but also highlighted the potential conflicts Smith may face as he pursues an ownership role. With Johnson's departure looming and Barkley hinting at following suit, the future of Inside the NBA's core lineup could be in flux, especially if Smith's ownership ambitions come to fruition.
Originally reported by awfulannouncing.