Splash Brothers Clap Back At Charles Barkley Over Critical Comments On Klay Thompson

Splash Brothers Clap Back At Charles Barkley Over Critical Comments On Klay Thompson

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Warriors guard Klay Thompson was finally available for the beginning of an NBA season for the first time in three years. Unfortunately, it’s off to a bumpy start.

The Warriors star is still working his way back into shape, but that hasn’t stopped the frustrations. Thompson had a particularly rough night on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns, earning his first career ejection after a heated back-and-forth with Devin Booker.

NBA analyst and Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley then delivered a fiery rant following the game, where he claimed both Thompson and Draymond Green were slowing down with age. Understandably, Thompson didn’t appreciate the criticism.

On Thursday following the Warriors’ 123-110 victory over the Miami Heat, Thompson addressed Barkley’s comments to end his post-game press conference.

Klay Thompson Calls Out Charles Barkley For Hurtful Criticism

A torn Achilles or ACL is a brutal injury by itself. It’s hard to fathom what suffering them in back-to-back years is like, but that’s exactly what Thompson went through. He doesn’t think Barkley fully understands that though.

“So, it hurts when someone like Charles Barkley, with the platform that he has, says you’re not the same player prior to the injuries you had. It’s like ‘No, duh, man.’ Consecutive years, like I tore my ACL and Achilles in consecutive years and still helped the team win a championship.”

Thompson tore his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Then he tore his Achilles in Nov. 2020 upon recovering from the first injury. After a whopping 941 days total, he finally returned to the court in Jan. 2022.

“I played 55, 57 games in three years. Give me some freaking time to get that back. To hear someone say ‘Oh, he’s not the same player as he was prior to the injuries.’ Like, duh. Who goes through that and comes back…I don’t know, it just hurt my heart hearing that.”

While Thompson is saddened by the comments, he admits he’s using them as fuel for the future. Most didn’t expect the Warriors to win another ring after his injuries either, but here we are.

Steph Curry Absolutely Roasts Charles Barkley’s Critical Comments

Thompson wasn’t the only Splash Brother to respond to Barkley too. Steph Curry offered his own defense by throwing a jab at how Barkley retired.

“It’s interesting because certain guys forget what their careers looked like on the back end. So you can cast and throw those stones but Klay’s still in here, like you said, helping us win a championship after the two hellish years that he had.”

Curry is referring to how Barkley’s NBA career was cut short after rupturing his quadriceps tendon in 2000.

It’s unlikely that Barkley actually meant any harm with his comments. However, it clearly struck a nerve in the Bay Area.

Klay Thompson is down from his career averages so far, shooting 34.4% from the field and 31% from three. It’s a long season ahead though and he’s now got the extra motivation to find his form once again.