Charles Barkley Has Something to Say to the ‘Losers’ Who Watched Monday’s Eclipse

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has no time for the “losers” who gathered to watch Monday’s eclipse. The commentator shared his thoughts during Turner’s broadcast of the NCAA Men’s National Championship on Monday.

The epic, nail-biting game saw UConn prevail 75–60 over Purdue, claiming the national title for the second year in a row. But throughout the competition, Barkley seemed more concerned with the day’s earlier event.

“Were y’all some of them losers standing outside watching that today?” Barkley asked his co-hosts, Clark Kellogg, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Jay Wright, referring to the solar eclipse. Johnson immediately jumped to the defense of spectators across the country, exclaiming: “They’re not losers!”

"Yes, they are,” Barkley shot back. “Hey, we've all seen darkness before. Stop it.”

"Come on, Chuckster. Don't hate on the eclipse,” Johnson begged his co-anchor.

“I’m not gonna sit outside like an idiot and wait on darkness,” Barkley argued. It’s gonna be dark when we go outside tonight.”

“Well,” Johnson interjected with more than a hint of sarcasm, “this was a very worthwhile segment.”

The 61-year-old then revealed that instead of watching the eclipse, he was trying to convince his grandson to take a look at the Charles Barkley blimp, which had been brought to Arizona by the NBA to celebrate the championship game.

In either case, Barkley will likely be happy to learn that the next solar eclipse won’t take place for more than two years, in August 2026. Unlike Monday’s event, which saw totality in 15 U.S. states, the next eclipse will only be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Spain, and a tiny region of Portugal.