Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley took another shot at the city of San Francisco as he made clear he had no intentions of going to the NBA All-Star Game.
Barkley spoke on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” about the All-Star candidacy of the Detroit Pistons’ young star Cade Cunningham. With the Golden State Warriors set to host the game at the Oracle Arena in San Francisco, Barkley said Cunningham will be there, but he won’t.
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Jan. 21, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona: Phoenix Suns former player Charles Barkley in attendance at Footprint Center. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s going to make the All-Star Team,” Barkley said. “I’m not going. I’m not going to that rat-infested place out in San Francisco.”
Barkley responded to one of his colleagues calling San Francisco “beautiful.”
“San Francisco is not a beautiful city. Rats. Cats. Y’all are not gonna make me like San Francisco. No. Nope, nope, nope”
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It’s not the first time Barkley had criticized the city. Last year, he ripped San Francisco during the NBA’s alternative broadcast of the All-Star Game, which took place in Indianapolis.
College basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Barkley asked Miller which he would choose: playing in the cold in Indianapolis – where Miller spent his entire 18-year NBA career – or “being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco.”
Warriors star Draymond Green called Barkley “crazy” and said that Barkley was not “welcome” in the city. WNBA star Candace Parker said “we love San Francisco,” but Barkley offered a retort.
“No we don’t,” he said. “… You can’t even walk around down there.”
Green was emphatic with his pushback.
“Yes you can walk around,” he said.
Barkley clapped back saying, “Yeah, with a bulletproof vest.”
Nov. 15, 2024; San Francisco, California: Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) argues a call with referee Brian Forte (45) during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center. (D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Image)
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New San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has vowed to make San Francisco’s streets safe again, build “enough housing to turn around our affordability crisis” and tackle “our drug and behavioral health crisis.”
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