TNT’s Charles Barkley: Kings playoff run is ‘great for Sacramento and great for the NBA’

Charles Barkley made his first trip to Sacramento in the early winter months of 1986.

The “Round Mound of Rebound” ran the floor with the Philadelphia 76ers with a game that was almost as bombastic as his words, and then he tried to find room to get dressed in the cramped quarters of the first Arco Arena. Barkley wondered during that trip if Sacramento was a city that even had electricity or running water.

The city had both, and a fanbase, he found out, though Kings fans have forever wondered if the TNT analyst/personality was ever going to be on their side.

Even though Barkley may have picked the Kings to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the epic 2002 Western Conference finals and predicted early exits in other playoff rounds, including their last run in 2006, he has made clear he believes the Kings are the better team in the opening-round series against Golden State.

He went so far as to guarantee a Kings series triumph on a TNT broadcast. Game 2 at Golden 1 Center will be on TNT, with Barkley in studio sure to talk up the talk of the NBA.

‘Sac is really good’

In a telephone conversation with The Sacramento Bee on Monday, Barkley laughed about the flashback of running water and electricity and spoke about what the Kings have done.

“I’m not joking here, but I had so many people calling me recently to say, ‘What the f--- is up with Sacramento?’” Barkley said amid laughter. “And I said, ‘Yo, man. They’ve got a good-ass team. Sac is really good. Dude, I didn’t pick them to beat the Warriors just for the hell of it.’ They’re really, really good. I’m sticking with it (the pick).”

Barkley added, “What sucks is we didn’t have the Kings on TNT enough. Same with ESPN. That’s a fun team. This will change next season. The Kings will be on national television a lot.”

Barkley said he agrees with what one-time NBA commissioner David Stern said in sizing up the landscape of the league, particularly that it is important to have a good balance of small-market and large-market teams. The Kings fit the small-market while the Warriors are big market. Barkley said it would have been a “travesty” if the Kings relocated.

It didn’t happen in large part because the late Stern didn’t allow it to happen, urging the Maloof ownership group to sell, which they did to Vivek Ranadivé 10 years ago next month.

“Now look at what’s happened,” Barkley said. “It’s not good for the NBA what the Kings have done. It’s great. It’s great for Sacramento and those great fans. It’s great for the NBA.”

He added: “Sacramento has waited a long time for this. They’ve always had great fans. Even when they played in that dumpy-ass gym, way out there in the middle of nowhere, the fans were incredible. It was always a difficult game to play because the fans were so loud and animated, and it’s still happening, but now it’s in a great arena.”

Barkley on Kings success

Barkley said the key to the Kings success has been hiring the right coach in Mike Brown and surrounding the team’s top two players — De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis — with quality pieces. He said he likes the burst and playmaking of Fox and the skills of Sabonis.

“Fox and Sabonis have been really good, and the spare parts have been great: (Kevin) Huerter, (Malik) Monk and guys like that. Fox scoring 38 and Monk 32 against the Warriors (in Game 1) isn’t easy because the Warriors have some good defenders with Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond (Green).”

He added, “Mike Brown is the Coach of the Year. No one else. It’s him. They’ve got a great future with that team in Sacramento.”

Barkley said he’s a fan of Sacramento, the city and the people. He visited the region several times over the years to offer support to the needy. His strong belief in education led him to Mustard Seed School, the private school affiliated with Loaves & Fishes that provides education for homeless children in Sacramento.

“I was glad to be there, to help out, and it felt great,” Barkley said. “I actually really like Sacramento. It’s an underrated city, and they’re having so much fun (with the Kings) now.”