For the first time in its history, Inside The NBA is covering the NBA Finals. The crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal were at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday for Game 1.
Before tip-off, the crew welcomed San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones to the panel. She immediately went for the jugular and roasted Barkley for his past comments about the city and the women of San Antonio.
“I learned a long time ago, you can’t teach courage, you can’t teach class, and Mr. Barkley reminds us of that,” the mayor said.
The quip got a lot of laughs from the crew, which wasn’t surprising since Barkley doesn’t take things personally. He went right back at it by trolling the city’s River Walk and calling it a “creek.”
“I was down on the river walk, I’m sorry, I was down on the creek walk today,” Barkley said. “Mayor, you know, that’s a creek. That’s not a river. It’s a creek.”
Barkley did praise San Antonio for being fantastic and the people of the city for being good sports.
Charles Barkley Receives Churros From Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones
GettyCommentator Charles Barkley looks on during Capital One’s The Match IX at The Park West Palm on February 26, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
One of Charles Barkley’s most viral videos about San Antonio was about churros. Barkley roasted the Spurs, the women and the River Walk, but he loved the tasty fried dough pastry.
And as a sign of truce, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones gifted Barkley and the Inside The NBA crew with a box of churros.
Barkley was licking his lips before opening the box. He got one and took a big bite, complimenting the mayor’s nice gesture.
“You can’t mess up a churro,” Barkley said. “Thank you, ma’am.”
With the mayor restoring order for now, it will be interesting to see if Barkley takes a shot at San Antonio for the rest of the NBA Finals.
Charles Barkley’s NBA Finals Pick
GettyJalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks drives against Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs in the first quarter of the championship game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Speaking on the Freddie and Harry show on ESPN, Charles Barkley picked the New York Knicks to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals.
“I’ve got the Knicks in 6,” Barkley said, via Newsweek. “I think the Knicks have been the best team in the playoffs. Anybody who knows anything about basketball knows the Knicks have been the best team.”
“The Knicks ain’t been squeaking by nobody. They’ve been kicking a** and taking names. They’re taking lunch money, they’re like going to people’s houses in front of their families and smashing food on the table.”
The Knicks and Spurs split the regular-season series 1-1. However, the Knicks beat the Spurs in the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup final.
This series is also a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, which the Spurs won in five games.
Charles Barkley Gets Roasted by San Antonio Mayor, Receives Churros as Gift