Charles Barkley couldn’t help but swoon over Russell Westbrook’s abs before Game 5 of the Clippers-Suns first-round playoff series on Tuesday.
Westbrook, 34, flashed his abs in an open button-up shirt while arriving at the Footprint Center, where the Suns defeated the Clippers to close out the series, 136-130.
“If I had a body like that, I’d walk around naked,” Barkley said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” pregame show.
After fellow “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson observed that Westbrook had one of his buttons done, the rest of the TNT crew started busting Barkley.
“One button Russ. Calm down, Chuck, relax,” Kenny Smith said, laughing. “Relax… he’s got one button.”
Johnson added, “Chuck couldn’t take another fully un-button.”
That’s when Shaquille O’Neal quipped, “Lickin’ your lips, delicious.”
Westbrook, who has found success off the court with his Honor the Gift clothing line, is known for his passion for fashion and outspoken looks.
The former MVP turned Barkley’s head prior to Game 1, when he showed off his eight-pack under a yellow button-down shirt.
“Woo man!” Barkley said at the time.
“I can’t remember the last time I could take my shirt off in public… That’s a case of beer, that ain’t no six-pack.”
Smith added, “That’s an eight-pack.”
He then held Barkley’s feet while the Hall of Famer, 60, did crunches on the floor of Studio J in Atlanta.
Westbrook, who signed with the Clippers in February after a contract buyout from the Jazz and a messy exit with the Lakers, finished with 14 points on 3-for-18 shooting, eight rebounds, and eight assists with five turnovers in Game 5.
Despite his shooting struggles — he tallied nine points on 3-of-19 shooting in Game 1 — Westbrook had plenty of solid moments.
Westbrook averaged 32 points in Games 2-5, shooting 54 percent from the field — and went 8-for-16 from three-point range during that span.
The nine-time All-Star scored a season-high 37 points (including 24 second-half points) in the Clippers’ Game 4 loss.
After Tuesday’s season-ending loss, Westbrook spoke about feeling accepted by the Clippers.
“I can’t say enough how appreciative I am of people that support me through ups and down and understanding that I’m human like anybody else,” he said.
“I’m so grateful and blessed to end up in this situation where I’m just allowed to be myself and… brought in with open arms.”
Westbrook added the season started out “difficult” and that “it’s been a rollercoaster mentally emotionally for me and my family, for my close ones, even for my kids — it’s a lot of emotions for me honestly, so I’m just grateful to be sitting here.”
Barkley has praised Westbrook in separate interviews — and previously defended the veteran guard during his rocky tenure with the Lakers.
