“German U-boat rigged for side running”: Stephen Colbert playfully taunts Charles Barkley for ignoring his calls during COVID days

On a recent appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Charles Barkley had to squash some beef with the show host Stephen Colbert. Colbert humorously came at Barkley for an incident back during Covid days.

Barkley was one of the last guests on Colbert’s show before the pandemic shut down in the US in 2020. However, shortly after Barkley announced he may have been exposed to the disease.

Colbert was then isolated due to his exposure to Barkley. However, he was left hanging when he tried to reach the NBA legend for news.

[01:47] “Two days later, the entire country shuts down. You announce that you might have been exposed to COVID. And me, myself, and my family can't leave our house because we think we might have been exposed to COVID because I've been exposed to COVID by you. And we called you every day for 11 days. And you never called us back. Whoa. You're like a German U-boat rigged for side running. What the hell, Charles?” Colbert said.

Barkley replied:

[02:14] “TNT has the worst medical staff. First of all, They sent me to the doctor. I was stuck in my condo for 10 days. It took them 10 days to get the results. And I had Mike Trout calling me. I had Patrick Ewing calling me. And I had you calling me,” Barkley said. “I didn't know the results. So I apologize for not calling you back.”

Charles Barkley took a shot at Michael Jordan

Barkley made some other headlines while on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” This time, he went after a familiar target: Michael Jordan. Colbert asked Barkley about attractive basketball players.

It started with Shaquille O’Neal being ranked ninth in GQ magazine among the sexiest blad men in the world. Barkley was asked if Michael Jordan was a good-looking man. He replied:

“I'm not great lookin', but I'm better-lookin' than Michael Jordan. And I'm damn sure better lookin' than Shaquille O'Neal.”

When his “King Charles” co-host Gayle King said that Jordan looked handsome when she met him recently, Barkley added:

“That's cause he's got $2 billion. Money equals out ugly.”

Barkley and Jordan have had a long relationship that has been through its ups and downs. The two were very close friends during and after their playing days. They often played golf and gambled together.

But the two have had a bit of a falling out when Barkley once criticized Jordan for his poor ownership of the Charlotte franchise.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2023, Barkley retold some of the details. He expressed sadness about losing his close friend Jordan due to his work as a talking head on TV.

“I lost my best friend because I criticized him,” Barkley said.

He also went on to say that the two are doing fine. They just do not speak like they used to.

"Michael got mad about something. I said we haven’t spoken and now two times a year I have to defend. … I’m like, ‘Yo, man, Michael’s doing great, Charles is doing great.’ I wish him nothing but the best. But, like, dude, we’re not like Prince Harry and Prince William. We’re not taking shots and by backdoor channels all the time, Michael’s doing great, and I’m doing great,” Barkley added.