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Rick Barry calls an FS1 radio host 'a loser' and 'a fool' for his hot LeBron James take

ben rohrbach
Senior NBA writer
They should throw another parade for Rick Barry. (AP)
They should throw another parade for Rick Barry. (AP)

Rick Barry will have none of your hot takes, Fox Sports 1.

Rob Parker is one of several FS1 hosts who still rely on the “LeBron James is not clutch” crutch to stir up fake controversy and incite listeners during an NBA Finals otherwise free from debate.

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Only Barry wasn’t about to fall victim to this ridiculousness. When Parker tried to argue that LeBron’s pass to Kyle Korver in the corner during the final minute of Game 3 somehow personified a lack of a killer instinct, the Hall of Famer gave the radio host a basketball lesson:

Parker contended LeBron should have taken a contested shot against likely Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green and the 6-foot-11 Kevin Durant instead of passing to a wide-open Korver, who ranks fifth all-time in 3-point field goals and seventh in 3-point percentage. And that somehow is why LeBron should never be compared to Michael Jordan.

This, of course, is a ludicrous take.

One LeBron made sound even more ludicrous with his response to questions about the play:

“If I could have the play over again, I would come off a three-screen situation,” said James. “Draymond would switch on me with five fouls. I would get him leaning. I would drive left. I would see K.D. step up. I would see Stephen Curry drop on Kevin. And I would see Kyle Korver in the corner, one of the greatest 3-point shooters in this league’s history, and give him an opportunity in the short corner. I would do the same exact thing.”

So, Barry, being of sound mind, proceeded to inform Parker, “You’ve got to stop, because you don’t know the game. You guys don’t know the game and should be ashamed of yourself.”

To which Parker told an eight-time All-Star, champion and one of the 50 greatest players ever it was he who didn’t know the game, citing his credentials as an informed NBA reporter dating back to 1987 (which, one could argue, only serves to make his point look all the more ludicrous).

Parker, who was let go by ESPN following some controversial comments about Robert Griffin III, and Barry — a noted curmudgeon himself — devolved into some highbrow name-calling on air.

“You’re a loser,” said Barry.

“No, you are,” countered Parker.

Parker then demanded an apology. So, Barry told him to “shut up and listen” before issuing a backhanded apology and explaining, over and over again, why he thought Parker was “a fool.”

This is the good stuff.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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