Few NBA players have made as big an impact as Charles Barkley. A dominant force on the court, Barkley was an 11-time All-Star, the 1993 NBA MVP, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the legendary “Dream Team. Despite being undersized for his position at 6’6″, he became one of the best power forwards in league history, leading the Phoenix Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals and finishing his career with over 23,000 points and 12,000 rebounds. After retiring, he transitioned seamlessly into broadcasting, becoming a cornerstone of TNT’s Inside the NBA. Known for his unfiltered takes and sharp humor, Barkley has never shied away from controversy – something that was on full display at the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.
Barkley Sparks Controversy with Finger Gesture
During TNT’s live broadcast, Barkley found himself at the center of a heated exchange with San Francisco fans. After months of criticizing the city-calling it “rat-infested” and “the armpit of America”-Barkley was met with relentless boos and explicit “F**k you” chants. Things escalated when teammate Ernie Johnson playfully egged on the crowd, leading to an eruption of insults directed at Barkley. Frustrated, the 61-year-old turned around and responded with both middle fingers, a smile on his face that shocked the crowd and set the set and social media on fire.
Despite the backlash, Barkley did not back down. At another point over the weekend, he doubled down on his earlier comments, saying that while he liked San Francisco, the city needed to “clean up” its homelessness problem. The comments drew more boos, but Barkley fired back, calling those who jeered him “stupid” for opposing efforts to help the homeless. His ongoing feud with the city’s fans only added to an already dramatic and boring for most of the fans All-Star break.
NBA Continues After the All-star
After almost a week off for the All-Star break, the NBA resumes tomorrow with just one game – the Hornets visit the Lakers. These two teams had been discussing a trade involving rookie Dalton Knecht, but in the end no deal was made. The rest of the NBA season will heat up as teams battle for playoff positioning. If teams keep up the pace they’ve set through the first 50 games, we’re in for a spectacular finish in both conferences, where the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are currently leading their respective conferences, with both teams looking to set franchise records for wins. In addition, there are only five games separating the fourth and ninth seeds in the East and five games separating the fourth and ninth seeds in the West.
