The NBA season kicks off on Tuesday night and TNT has been getting fans hyped for weeks.
But a recent advertisement from the channel struck a wrong note with people.
The ad, which was all over social media, spoke of the league’s opening night and featured images of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum.
The problem was that it didn’t feature anyone from the reigning champion Denver Nuggets team, including Nikola Jokic.
To make matters even worse, Tatum and the Celtics don’t even play on opening night.
Speaking to Altitude Sports in Denver, TNT analyst Charles Barkley apologized for the mistake.
According to ClutchPoints, Barkley said:
“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. That’s completely stupid not having Joker on that graphic. I mean, we’re here all day!”
Charles Barkley issued an apology in regard to a TNT promo graphic not featuring Nikola Jokic 💯
"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. That's completely stupid not having Joker on… pic.twitter.com/ygRkMXVWtl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 24, 2023
This was certainly the wrong move from TNT and it was right of Barkley to apologize.
It highlights the fact that the Nuggets have been written off for years, even with the power of Jokic on the roster.
The team was storming through the West last season and easily earned their spot atop the Western Conference standings.
But even then some people said they didn’t have what it takes to reach and win the Finals.
They proved everyone wrong but it is clear that the Nuggets still aren’t thought of as the best of the best by certain people.
This could be fuel added to the fire, motivation for the team to do incredibly well again this season.
The Nuggets shouldn’t be counted out even when major media companies forget about them.
NEXT: Nikola Jokic Shuts Down Narrative About His Interest In Basketball
