Charles Barkley was unimpressed by the heated scuffle between the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and the Detroit Pistons' Tolu Smith III during their game on Wednesday night. The incident occurred under the basket with 1:25 left in the first half as Jaylen Brown drove to the hoop. After Brown was fouled, Embiid attempted to secure the missed shot, prompting Smith to knock the ball from his hands. This initiated a brief shoving match that required teammates and coaches to intervene and de-escalate.
On TNT's "Inside the NBA," Shaquille O'Neal joked about calling the police on the players involved. Barkley, however, dismissed the severity of the altercation, responding, "I've been kissed harder." Kenny Smith playfully ribbed Barkley about his comment, suggesting he was sharing details about his personal life.
Barkley, along with O'Neal and Kenny Smith, who played in a more physically demanding era of basketball, seemingly found the scuffle underwhelming. Embiid, who received a technical foul for his role in the altercation, was also involved in another unusual play earlier in the game where his leg appeared to strike Cade Cunningham's leg as Embiid faked a shot.
The 76ers went on to win the game 112-106, improving their record to 8-1. Embiid had a strong performance with 26 points and 15 rebounds, while Brown contributed 30 points and LeBron James added 13 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.