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Inside The NBA, ESPN debut: Charles Barkley jabs Kirby Smart over Kevin Durant timeout controversy

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz15 hours agoNickSchultz_7
Charles Barkley
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of the first overtime in Tuesday night’s Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder game, it appeared Kevin Durant was trying to call timeout. Houston didn’t have one, though, and the referees said they didn’t see him make the signal.

The incident led to a wave of jokes, with some calling back to a controversy involving Kirby Smart during Georgia’s win over Auburn earlier this month. Former Tigers star Charles Barkley joined that chorus on Wednesday.

Barkley compared the referee to Smart and said it should’ve been a technical foul. He also said the official was in clear sight of the play, drawing comparisons to the situation at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“Hey, ref – ref. That’s a tech, Kirby Smart,” Barkley said on Inside The NBA. “That’s a tech, Kirby. … The dude is standing right there, Ernie. Just like they were down at Auburn when Kirby Smart was calling a timeout. Oh, I’m sorry. He was clapping.”

During Georgia’s win over Auburn in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry game, Smart appeared to be going up to the official trying to call timeout. When it was granted, he then signaled a clapping motion, leading viewers to think he attempted to say he was the one clapping.

After the game, though, Smart clarified the situation. He thought Auburn players were the ones who were clapping – which would be a penalty.

“Yeah, they’re clapping, so I told them before the game, ‘If these guys clap, it’s a penalty,’” Smart said. “They can’t clap, because we’ll false snap. I’ve lost games on that before in this stadium. And I told them, if they clap I’m going to tell you.”

As the play unfolded, Georgia’s left tackle seemed to false start. It was unclear whether he did so because the play clock was winding down or because Auburn was simulating a clap.

“I’ve got someone in the box watching every play,” Smart said. “They were clapping. So I ran over to them and said, ‘They’re clapping, they’re clapping.’ And he thought I called timeout. So I wanted to make sure he understood. Go lip read, because I’m screaming, ‘They’re clapping, they’re clapping.’”

Georgia went on to win that game, 20-10, at Jordan-Hare. But even almost two weeks later, Charles Barkley still had jokes at Kirby Smart’s expense, especially after the incident in the very first game of the 2025-26 NBA season.