NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley has a reputation for speaking his mind. Recently, the Basketball Hall-of-Famer offered a strong statement about the LGBTQ+ community.
During an event at a hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe, Barkley jumped on stage and grabbed the microphone to share a message.
“I want to say this: If you’re gay and transgender, I love you! Hey, and if anybody give you sh*t, you tell them Charles said ‘F*ck you!’” Barkley said.
Charles Barkley has an important message for the LGBTQ community. pic.twitter.com/WVdP1xiSAU
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) July 18, 2022
Barkley’s message went viral after it was posted on TikTok, eliciting massive cheers and applause from the crowd. But his LGBTQ+ support could also be viewed as hypocritical. Hours before the video went viral, Barkley confirmed plans to meet with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour about a possible media role. Contributors and supporters of LIV Golf have been criticized for helping to sportswash the Saudi government’s human rights abuses, which includes executing people in the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m going to meet with LIV,” Barkley said last week on The Next Round podcast. “They called me and asked me ‘Would I meet with them?’ And I said yes. Nothing that’s imminent, I actually don’t know everything they want from me, or what they technically want me to do, but you’ve got to always look at every opportunity that’s available. So the answer to your question is, 100 percent yes, I’m going to meet with LIV.”
Barkley is likely hoping to receive a significant financial offer to join LIV Golf. He previously joked that he would be willing to “kill a relative” to get the $200 million paydays being handed to high-profile LIV golfers from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. But Barkley clearly doesn’t seem willing to hide his love for the LGBTQ+ community, which he has long supported.
Last year, Fox News sports reporter and former ESPN New York radio host, Jared Max stated Barkley’s support of gay athletes inspired him to come out on air more than a decade ago. During an interview with 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C., Barkley claimed, “every player has played with gay guys” and advocated for professional athletes to come out.
“It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: ‘Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy,’” Barkley told The Fan in 2011. “First of all, quit telling me what I think. I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play.”
Barkley also showed his support for the LGBTQ+ community in 2016, when he criticized North Carolina legislation that prohibited transgender people from using the public bathroom that aligned with their gender identity. Because of the law, Barkley advocated for the 2017 NBA All-Star game to be removed from Charlotte.
While members of the LGBTQ+ community have applauded Barkley’s support, it’s hard to imagine his desire to accept Saudi money and join LIV Golf would elicit a similar response. How can Barkley be taken seriously when he claims “I love you” to the LGBTQ+ community, but remains willing to work with a country that will imprison, stone or execute a person for being gay?
