Warriors send Charles Barkley an 'I Don't Know' jersey after his 'Inside the NBA' quiz flop

The Golden State Warriors have taken a shot at Charles Barkley, and this time it came with a jersey. The club sent personalized jerseys to the whole "Inside the NBA" crew. Barkley's had "I Don't Know" printed across the back, according to the New York Post.

The joke goes back to a segment of the show's "Who He Play For?" game from about a week earlier. Barkley was asked to name where players had landed in the offseason, and he could not place a single one. The Post reports he went 0-for-5, with names running from Moe Wagner to Taurean Prince. Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith gave him a second try and then a third, and he missed both times. The clip spread quickly, and the Warriors' social team found a way to remind him of it.

The timing gives the gag more weight than a normal social-media bit. The Post notes that Johnson, who has been with the show since it started in 1989, announced this week that this season will be his last on the program. Barkley paid tribute to his longtime host on air days before the jerseys showed up. The show moved to ESPN in 2025 and is now in its 37th season. That makes this one of the final stretches with the full four-man desk in place.

Barkley and Golden State have a long history of jabs. He spent the 2022 Western Conference finals trading insults with fans outside Chase Center. Last spring, Draymond Green poked fun at Barkley's final seasons in Houston during an appearance on the show. Before that, Barkley had declared the Warriors' run over. This round is lighter, and the team got the last word for now.

What it means for Friday against the Lakers

On the court, the Warriors are 2-3 and starting to recover. They opened 0-3 with a 127-105 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, a 111-108 home loss to Memphis and a 131-122 loss at Phoenix. They then won two straight on the road, beating Denver 134-114 and Minnesota 119-114. Through five games they are scoring 117.6 points and allowing 119.4.

Friday's home game against the Lakers airs on Prime Video and is a rematch of that opening-night loss. The market has Los Angeles as the road favorite. On Novig, one of 12 venues on this site's board, the Lakers are favored at -127 on the moneyline and Golden State is +125. On the spread, Novig lists the Lakers at -2.5 (-104) and the Warriors at +2.5 (-102). The best Lakers number anywhere is DraftKings at -1.5 (-115). The best Golden State number is BetRivers at +3.5 (-134). That is a one-point range on either side of Novig's line. The total sits at 234.5 on Novig, with the over at -106 and the under at +104. BetRivers has the best under, at 235.5 (-113). Golden State's first five games have averaged 237 combined points, just above that number.

The venues are close together. Sportsbook hold runs from about 2.9% to 5.0% across the markets. Novig's moneyline pair is priced nearly even on both sides.

Barkley is unlikely to call the matchup correctly from the studio, but the Warriors have already given him a stock answer.