On Sunday night, the NBA had $2.5 billion in combined salaries sitting on the bench. The Oklahoma City Thunder benched nearly its entire first unit yet again. That staggering figure also became the centerpiece of Charles Barkley’s criticism, who once again voiced his frustration with players sitting out and still earning millions. He had a soft corner for those who genuinely needed rest, though, while LeBron James caught what appears to be an unnecessary stray.

“Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum, okay, we got nothing to play for, let’s rest these two guys,” Barkley said on ESPN. “You rest, Wemby, maybe. You rest Joker, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon. You rest LeBron because he’s 102 years old. All these dudes sitting out, it’s just disrespectful.” Rather than simply venting, Chuck pointed to a trend that he believes undermines the integrity of the game. The players he excused had legitimate concerns, including Victor Wembanyama, who was dealing with a rib issue that limited his minutes, and Nikola Jokic, who has been managing a hyperextended knee.

Regardless, Jokic suited up in the final encounter to gain award eligibility, as he truly is a top-two contender in the MVP race. Similarly, teammates Gordon and Murray are important cogs in the Nuggets’ machine, so their postseason availability matters. Chuck, citing load management, ties directly into the NBA’s 65-game rule, which was introduced to ensure stars remain active and available throughout the season.

“I don’t think 65 games is a lot to ask, man,” Barkley complained. “Shut the hell up. Y’all vote in the collective bargaining, and now you want to complain. If Y’all wasn’t sitting on your a– half the time sipping margaritas and stuff, they wouldn’t put the 65 games threshold in there. Shut the hell up!”

It’s not just individual players who seem to need rest for recovery. The franchises are putting the bulk of the players on the bench. 13 of 30 teams had 7 or more players listed as out. Just hours before the tip-off in the West, Associated Press reporter Tim Reynolds tweeted that “There are 195 players ruled out tonight for NBA games.”

With playoff spots secured, the stakes are low, so teams often rest their starters to avoid unnecessary injuries before the postseason. While this strategy is understandable, Barkley argued that it comes at the expense of fans. But the NBA legend, who had surpassed the 65-game threshold in 13 of the 16 NBA seasons, made sure to send a message to the league as well.

How Charles Barkley wants to bring the NBA’s tanking problem to an end

The conversation then shifted toward tanking, another issue Charles Barkley has consistently criticized. He blasted the NBA’s weighted lottery system, calling it “stupid crap” before suggesting an alternative. Rather than rewarding losing teams, Chuck believes the system should incentivize competitiveness late in the season. “Now teams been just tanking for three months,” he said. “Every team that does not make the playoffs should get one ball. You can’t improve your chances of losing. Every team gets one ball. That would be the fair way to do it.”

Instead of listing teams without context, he pointed to struggling franchises like the Nets, Wizards, and Jazz, teams long out of playoff contention, as examples of organizations that may benefit from losing to improve lottery odds. This, he argued, creates the wrong kind of motivation.

In 2019, the lottery was altered so that the teams with the three worst records would have equal odds. In fact, Barkley also reiterated his longtime stance, which directly affects the franchise’s ownership. “If you finish below .500, you should not be able to raise your ticket prices.” Even with Barkley’s suggested methods, it doesn’t seem Adam Silver will go this route, but never say never.