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Charles Barkley Catches Colleagues Off Guard After Bashing San Francisco On Air

The NBA has not exactly hid their political bias over the last several years.

They quickly were one of the first sports organizations to show their true colors during the race riots of 2020.

They have also publicly shilled for China in spite of the many atrocities committed by the communist country.

Not much about the NBA and its loyalties comes as a shock to anyone anymore.

One thing that does surprise many about the NBA, is the fact that they continue their affiliation with NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.

Barkley has made a name for himself as a broadcast analyst for the NBA for some time.

He’s done so by speaking his mind, even when the subject is controversial.

There are plenty of times when Barkley has towed the company line so to speak, but he’s also cut against what could be considered the NBA’s “official stance” on certain topics.

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One area where Barkley hasn’t minced words is when giving his opinion of the state of California, and more specifically, San Francisco.

While on-air during the NBA All-Star game, Barkley made some controversial statements about what has become of the city.

His comments included calling out the “homeless crooks” in the city, and remarking that the only way to safely walk around there was with a “bulletproof vest.”

Check this out!:

Wow.

How’s that for some honesty?

Barkley’s comments came after troubled NBA player Draymond Green joked to former Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller that he hoped the NBA never held another all-star game in Indiana due to the cold weather.

The New York Post reported on the outspoken NBA Hall of Famer’s comments:

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“Hey Reggie,” Barkley said. “If you had a chance of being in the cold, or being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco, which would you take?”

“You can’t even walk around down there,” Barkley added.

Next year’s All-Star game will take place at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

When Green responded, “yes you can walk around,” Barkley responded “yeah, with a bulletproof vest.”

Barkley is only speaking the truth here, which is something that is now being applauded by many on social media:

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Again, Barkley is not wrong.

California in general is rife with the homeless.

As reported by the San Francisco Standard, the city’s homeless population rose by 5.8% last year:

California, which accounts for 12% of the population of the United States, has 28% of its homeless people—181,399. Nearly 10,000 people in California became homeless between 2022 and 2023, according to the report.

While California has more homeless people than any other state, its 5.8% year-over-year increase was only about half the national 12% rate. New York’s homelessness went up more than three times the national rate, according to HUD’s report.

Still, California’s issues with homelessness are plainly visible on the streets of many cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. The state now accounts for 49% of all unsheltered people in the country (123,423 people). This is nearly eight times the number of unsheltered people in the state with the next highest number, Florida.

In California, 68% of homeless people are unsheltered. Other Western states, including Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii, all have more than half of their homeless population unsheltered.


 

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