Charles Barkley just slammed the brakes on Stephen A. Smith’s 2028 presidential hype train-hard. The NBA legend and sports media titan had some choice words for his colleague, telling him to “knock it off” and calling Smith’s White House aspirations little more than a bad joke gone too far.

“C’mon, man. Stop it,” Barkley told Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina. “That had to start out as a joke and now he’s taking it seriously. No. Hard no.” The brutal honesty from Barkley marks a stunning pivot after he recently backed Smith in his headline-grabbing feud with LeBron James.

Two weeks ago, Barkley took LeBron to task for what he called “bullying” behavior after the Lakers star confronted Smith over comments about his son, Bronny. Smith fired back in typical fashion, escalating the beef with fiery soundbites and personal jabs.

But Barkley wasn’t exactly impressed with either man’s performance.

Chuck is disappointed in Bron and Stephen A.

“They both had an awful week,” he said during The Dan Patrick Show. “LeBron, he’s too big to be that type of bully. But Stephen A., the way he reacted was so lame and weak. You’re better than that.”

He called the entire exchange a lose-lose situation between “two good dudes who just looked bad.” Barkley, clearly disappointed, painted the feud as a pointless ego clash between the NBA’s biggest name and sports media’s loudest voice.

SAS’s political career could end before it begins

Smith, fresh off a massive new deal with ESPN, has been teasing a possible political future in multiple appearances, with some fans even suggesting a 2028 presidential run. While Smith hasn’t ruled anything out, Barkley’s “hard no” could be the loudest reality check yet.

Whether the Smith-LeBron relationship will ever heal remains unclear. For now, the only certainty is that Barkley won’t be casting a vote for President Stephen A.-and he wants his friend to quit while he’s behind.