"Completely stupid not having Joker": Charles Barkley issues apology to Nikola Jokic and Nuggets over opening night graphic snub

Nikola Jokic may be the NBA's best player, but TNT left him off its graphic promoting its opening night doubleheader featuring the Denver Nuggets hosting the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at the Golden State Warriors. And his omission upset Charles Barkley, who will co-host “Inside the NBA,” which will precede the two-game set.

The promo graphic for the NBA's return on Tuesday left out Jokic while featuring LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum. Tatum was an odd choice as he and the Boston Celtics do not even play on opening night while the other three do.

Barkley apologized to the Nuggets and their fans.

"You sent me that graphic, and I showed it to Ernie (Johnson) and we just want to apologize to the Nuggets, Joker and the city of Denver," Barkley said. "That's completely stupid not having Joker on that graphic. I mean, we're here all day!"

It follows the narrative that the Jokic and the Nuggets do not get the same kind of national attention as others despite their success. Nuggets coach Michael Malone criticized the media during their championship run last season for not giving Jokic his proper praise. It seems Barkley agrees.

Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets take on the Lakers

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the LA Lakers to tip off the NBA season. It will be ring ceremony night for the Nuggets. They could be distracted by the ceremony and pregame procession.

The Lakers will also be hungry for revenge. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last season. All four games were highly competitive and words were exchanged between the teams. There could be some bad blood in this one.

The Lakers will need a big game from Anthony Davis to win. They will also need him on the defensive end to try to disrupt Nikola Jokic. The Lakers will also rotate their backup bigs and sometimes put two on the floor at once to force Jokic into uncomfortable situations.

LA will likely use a lot of Rui Hachimura and new signees Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood to spell Davis as he will have his hands full with the big Serbian superstar.