Regardless of the network, the game or the day, you never truly know what to expect when Charles Barkley is behind the microphone. If they didn’t already know, Draymond Green and Taylor Rooks found out during Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.
Barkley teamed up with Green and Rooks for TNT’s altcast on TBS, which produced a few interesting soundbites. None were more interesting — or controversial — than Barkley’s tirade against the city of San Francisco, which is set to host the 2025 All-Star Game.
“If you had a chance of being cold or being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco…” Barkley said before Green and Rooks objected. Barkley was hitting back at Green, who told Reggie Miller that the NBA shouldn’t play another All-Star Game in Indianapolis because of the cold weather.
“We love San Francisco,” Rooks said, to which Barkley replied, “No we don’t! You can’t even walk around down there.”
“Yes, you can walk around!” Green interjected, prompting the regular broadcast’s play-by-play announcer, Brian Anderson, to jump into the conversation.
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Barkley added that you can walk around in San Francisco — with a bulletproof vest — as the objections continued.
Charles Barkley again bashed San Francisco, this time around talk of the cold in Indianapolis. “If you had the chance between being cold or being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco, which would you take?” pic.twitter.com/o0W9aUQCyI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 19, 2024
It’s no surprise Green would be quick to defend San Francisco, as the Warriors have played in the city since moving to the Chase Center in 2019.
While Barkley assuredly doesn’t care very much what the NBA thinks, the league likely isn’t thrilled to hear the broadcaster trash San Francisco. The Chase Center was chosen to host the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. So much of the NBA world will descend on the city a year from now.
Barkley has a history of targeting San Francisco, criticizing the city’s “dirtiness” in 2022 and imploring leaders to clean up the streets.
Your rain delay entertainment-
Charles Barkley continuing to troll Warriors fans by trashing San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/h76RYxw44y
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 25, 2022
Barkley’s rivalry with San Francisco may only be second to his rivalry with San Antonio, but he’s likely going to have to face the Bay Area fans next February — if not sooner.
Barkley’s comments were quickly criticized by NBA fans and members of the media.
