Charles Barkley isn’t exactly making friends at ESPN ahead of Inside the NBA’s highly anticipated move to the cable giant next season.

On Thursday, the Hall of Famer and ex-NBA MVP criticized ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, labeling him an ‘idiot.’ This came after Perkins made comments regarding the Los Angeles Lakers following their acquisition of Luka Doncic.

‘Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers are saving the NBA,’ Perkins told his fellow ESPN hosts on Wednesday with LeBron James, Doncic & Co. riding a seven-game winning streak.

Without initially mentioning Perkins by name, Barkley blasted the journeyman center during Thursday’s episode of TNT’s Inside the NBA. Before the Lakers hosted the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday night in LA, Barkley referred to Perkins as a ‘fool’ for suggesting Los Angeles has somehow resurrected the NBA season.

‘I saw a fool, idiot on TV saying the Lakers saved the NBA,’ Barkley said. ‘He’s an idiot and a fool but he knows who he is.’ 

‘First of all, the Lakers have had a great two weeks,’ Barkley told his TNT co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. ‘He said the Lakers saved the NBA season. That’s because them fools on the other network, which we’re going to be working for next year, that’s all they talk about.

Charles Barkley isn’t making friends at ESPN ahead of Inside the NBA’s move to the network

Barkley blasted Perkins and ESPN over what he perceives as an obsession with the Lakers 

‘Hey man, the Lakers are doing great,’ Barkley continued, as quoted by AwfulAnnouncing.com. ‘Got a long way to go. But the reason the season’s been going great — the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder — y’all just want to talk about the Warriors and the Lakers. They’re both doing great. Don’t get me wrong. If I turn out to be wrong, I got no problem with that.

‘But y’all are idiots ’cause y’all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time. The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 12 straight games. Oklahoma City got the MVP and they are on fire. Y’all are talking about who’s in second place. That’s the reason I get pissed. Hey, the Lakers are doing great. I don’t mind being wrong. The Warriors are doing great.

‘But that’s ’cause you fools on the other network, which we’re gonna become fools next year when we be working on that network, but Oklahoma City and the Cavs been balling for six months. Y’all talking about teams that had two great weeks.’

Barkley prefaced his comments by saying he wants ‘all the smoke’ and Perkins did not disappoint.

In response to the Round Mound of Rebound, the former Celtics center directed a social media post at TNT.

‘Hey @NBAonTNT,’ Perkins wrote on X. ‘might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around. When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his a** like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409 homeboy and we bar none and fade all. #TexasBoy.’

The 409 area code belongs to Eastern Texas, where Perkins’ native Beaumont can be found alongside the Louisiana border. 

‘Yo Chuck, stop the b.s. with the ”y’all,”’ Smith wrote on X. ‘Attach a name to it. I know I’ve been talking about @cavs being the No.1 threat to the @Celtics. Once you come over here, there’s gonna be some folks waiting to call YOU a fool. P.S. You know I love ya, though. See y’all soon.’

Barkley did make it clear that he was referring to Perkins on TNT.  

In response to Round Mound of Rebound, the ex-Celtics star directed an X post at TNT

Charles Barkley and Kendrick Perkins are seen speaking prior to a 2019 NBA Finals Game 

And the two have exchanged words over the years. Typically it’s Barkley accusing Perkins of trying to be provocative in order to appease his ESPN bosses.

Now, though, with TNT losing domestic NBA rights next season, Barkley and TNT’s Inside the NBA crew will be seen on ESPN.

The show will continue to be produced by TNT at the network studios in Atlanta, but Americans will only be able to watch starting next season on ESPN.

Perkins, who recently signed an extension with ESPN, or his co-hosts are not expected to be leaving to make room for Barkley & Co.

Barkley has been a long-time critic of ESPN, its NBA coverage, and the network’s overall atmosphere.

‘Times have changed, Kenny,’ he told Smith in November while discussing reports of the ESPN deal. ‘We gotta go back to kissing ass.’