Charles Barkley acknowledges WWE’s Roman Reigns on Inside the NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in what was a thrilling game all around. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander starred during his return after missing nine games, scoring a team-high 36 points with nine assists on a whopping 12-29 shooting.

At halftime, Charles Barkley had a hilarious comparison and shoutout for WWE superstar Roman Reigns as he tried to explain how the game went down on ESPN’s Inside the NBA.

"Shout out Roman Reigns."

Chuck had to give the shameless plug pic.twitter.com/KalTt4bvDh

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 28, 2026

“Hey, acknowledge me. Shoutout to Roman Reigns,” he said to Kenny Smith after explaining that the game went down more like it belonged to the postseason, rather than being part of the regular season.

“You can tell by the difference in intensity. You don’t see this many hard fouls, elbows, and the wrestling. These teams know they are gonna play each other somewhere in the playoffs,” Chuck had initially explained.

Barkley then explained that both teams wanted to send a “mental message” to each other and came out “with a totally different energy.” And well, that was clear in more than one way.

The two teams had played out the previous year’s Western Conference semis, which ended 4-3 in the eventual champions’ favor. The tension boiled over with 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter when Thunder defensive ace Lu Dort committed a hard hip-check/trip combination on Denver’s three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, who finished the game with a staggering 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists, retaliated immediately. A massive midcourt scrum ensued, during which Jokic appeared to grab the hair of Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams before they pulled on jerseys.

Regardless, SGA rested in the overtime and the Thunder pulled through, with Chet Holmgren returning with a monster double-double of 15 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks. Rookie Jared McCain contributed 14 points off the bench, with the OKC coming out on top despite Jamal Murray also returning with 39 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

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