Charles Barkley has made the headlines once more after making one other eyebrow-raising remark a couple of movie star attending an NBA Finals recreation.
The basketball analyst drew consideration throughout Sport 5 of the championship sequence when he reacted to actress Sydney Sweeney’s look within the crowd.
The second rapidly turned a speaking level on-line, particularly because it got here simply days after Barkley sparked controversy with remarks about rapper Cardi B throughout one other Knicks playoff recreation.
Sydney Sweeney was among the many high-profile celebrities who traveled to San Antonio to look at the New York Knicks tackle the Spurs in Sport 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Idaho-born actress appeared courtside carrying a white Knicks shirt as she cheered on the workforce in the course of the pivotal matchup.
Sweeney was seated alongside boyfriend Scooter Braun, a New York native who has additionally been supporting the Knicks all through their playoff run.
Throughout ESPN’s protection of the sport, Charles Barkley appeared shocked to see the “Euphoria” star in attendance.
“Sydney Sweeney is right here? All people’s a New York Knicks fan now,” Barkley remarked.
The actress was later featured in a celeb montage displaying well-known Knicks supporters who made the journey to Texas. Different notable faces included Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee, John Turturro, and Ben Stiller.
Charles Barkley’s feedback arrived shortly after he confronted backlash over one other celebrity-related comment in the course of the Knicks’ playoff marketing campaign.
Simply days earlier than mentioning Sweeney, the longtime analyst stirred controversy when he made feedback about halftime performer Cardi B that referenced the rapper’s chest.
As The Blast reported, the controversy started when the Corridor of Famer reacted to the rapper’s halftime look and quipped, “I don’t know if these B’s. These may be Cardi D’s,” referencing her chest dimension in the course of the broadcast.
The comment rapidly went viral, prompting a flood of reactions on-line. Whereas many followers laughed off the joke as basic Barkley humor, others known as it inappropriate, with some critics labeling the remark “diabolical” and even suggesting he could possibly be “fired” from ESPN over it.
Reasonably than again down, Charles Barkley embraced the controversy surrounding his viral Cardi B joke and mentioned he can be more than pleased if ESPN determined to indicate him the door.
Based on The Blast, the NBA analyst addressed the backlash throughout an look on “The Dan Patrick Present,” the place he laughed off the criticism.
Barkley revealed he nonetheless had six or seven years remaining on his contract and joked that being fired would truly work in his favor.
“I’m hoping they hearth me,” he mentioned, including that he would “love” to be paid for the rest of the deal with out having to work.
Barkley additionally made it clear he has little persistence for critics upset over the joke. “Individuals can’t take a joke?” he mentioned earlier than doubling down additional by telling these and not using a humorousness they will “kiss my *ss. My entire *ss, not only one cheek. The entire *ss.”
Barkley Roasts Ice Spice After Viral McDonald’s Altercation
Cardi B isn’t the one star Charles Barkley has spoken about in latest occasions. The Blast reported that the 63-year-old had the “Contained in the NBA” crew in stitches after turning a sponsored McDonald’s phase right into a operating joke about rapper Ice Spice’s latest altercation at one of many chain’s eating places.
Because the panel ready to debate NBA playoff motion, Barkley all of the sudden quipped that McDonald’s was serving “slappy Joyful Meals,” referencing stories that Ice Spice was allegedly slapped throughout a late-night go to to a Los Angeles location.
When Shaquille O’Neal requested what he meant, Barkley replied, “You see Ice Spice received slapped at McDonald’s?” earlier than joking, “What you doing at McDonald’s in the midst of the evening, Ice Spice? Come on, cease that. Get it to go.”
The feedback despatched O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and even members of the manufacturing crew into matches of laughter.
Barkley later doubled down, telling the panel, “A slappy Joyful Meal over there. Let Ice Spice eat in peace!” whereas joking that she “ought to have slapped her within the face with a Huge Mac.”
Weeks later, Barkley earned reward on-line after talking candidly about homophobia in skilled sports activities whereas paying tribute to late NBA trailblazer Jason Collins.
Throughout an emotional dialogue on “Contained in the NBA” following Collins’ dying at age 47, Barkley argued that society nonetheless had a protracted solution to go when it got here to acceptance.
“If one other man did it, it might nonetheless be a giant deal as a result of we stay in a homophobic society,” Barkley mentioned per The Blast, referring to a different energetic athlete publicly popping out as homosexual.
He additionally dismissed the concept that there aren’t any different homosexual athletes competing on the highest ranges of sports activities, including, “Anyone who thinks we ain’t received a bunch of homosexual gamers in all sports activities, they’re simply silly.”
Barkley’s feedback rapidly drew reward throughout social media, with many applauding him for utilizing his platform to problem stereotypes and assist the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
