Charles Barkley took a hilarious shot at one particular name who has been mentioned as the North Carolina Tar Heels' potential next head coach.
At this point, the prevailing thought is that the North Carolina Tar Heels will be parting ways with head coach Hubert Davis after a miserable first-round NCAA Tournament loss to VCU.
The question is, who could North Carolina to replace Davis?
Florida's Todd Golden has been mentioned as an option, as has Boston Celtics executive — and former Butler head coach — Brad Stevens, but neither name appears all that realistic.
But in the midst of all of that, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently tossed an intriguing possibility into the ring: Kenny Smith.
Smith played at Chapel Hill between 1983 and 1987 and went on to enjoy a successful NBA career, winning a pair of championships with the Houston Rockets.
After retiring from the NBA, Smith joined TNT as a broadcaster in 1998 and has held the job ever since (although games have now switched from TNT to ESPN).
The 61-year-old has zero coaching experience, but because his son, Malloy Smith, recently committed to North Carolina, it might make sense for The Jet to head down to UNC.
Charles Barkley was hearing none of its during a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, hilariously roasting Smith when his name was brought up as a potential head-coaching candidate for the Tar Heels.
Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images."Kenny couldn’t even make it through the weekend, Dan. He got sick this weekend," Barkley said.
The chances of North Carolina turning to Smith seem very slim.
Remember: when Davis took over for Roy Williams in 2021, he had been serving as a Tar Heels assistant for a decade, so he had plenty of experience under his belt.
It seems hard to imagine UNC — one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country — hiring someone with no coaching background.
Plus, would Smith even really want the job?
Sure, his son is now playing for the school, but Smith has a very cushy broadcasting job he seems to thoroughly enjoy, and he gets paid handsomely for it.
Why leave that job to take a much more stressful position where you have absolutely no experience?
We can probably safely assume that Smith will not be the next head coach of North Carolina, even if the school is near and dear to his heart.
Tar Heels Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things North Carolina Tar Heels. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.