Charles Barkley posed an awkward question Sunday night, with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal seemingly making it worse. Barkley is known for his candidness and blunt honesty, but occasionally, his Inside the NBA co-hosts need to keep him in check. Typically, they succeed in this regard, but Sunday night proved to be a challenge.
During Game 1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff matchup against the Miami Heat, Ty Jerome contributed significantly, scoring 28 points off the bench to help secure a 121-100 victory. Following the game, the NBA on TNT postgame show displayed a graphic highlighting Jerome’s achievement, noting his points were the fourth-most scored by a player off the bench in a playoff debut—just behind Billy Ray Bates, who scored 29 points in 1980.
After seeing the graphic, Barkley bluntly asked, “I wonder if he’s still alive?” This prompted immediate silence, with Johnson and Smith visibly shaking their heads in disbelief.
Charles Barkley was scolded on ‘Inside the NBA’ for asking if Billy Ray Bates is still alive. pic.twitter.com/c3QID1DRNy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 21, 2025
Barkley quickly stood by his inquiry, insisting with a chuckle, “It’s a fair question!” Johnson retorted, “Not on national television! Maybe under your breath. Maybe Google it.” Smith added, “Not unless you know the answer,” emphasizing that such questions aren’t necessary. In the background, Smith could be heard saying “unfortunately…” as Shaq chimed in regarding Billy Ray Bates, stating he had “passed away.”
“I can’t even ask questions now,” Barkley lamented, to which Johnson stressed the importance of having “social skills.” Shaq humorously noted, “You’re gonna get us fired, Chuck!”
Interestingly, a search confirms that Smith’s advice to “Google it” lacks substantiation; there is no record of Billy Ray Bates having passed away. In fact, according to Wikipedia, Bates is still alive, and there are services still offering to book him as a guest speaker, suggesting he is indeed living. At the very least, Barkley dared to ask the question while the rest of the Inside the NBA crew quickly rushed to declare Bates dead, which would have been notable breaking news if true.
