During the live broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, former NBA star Charles Barkley caused quite a stir when he took a shot at the city of San Francisco. While covering the game on TNT, Barkley and several other analysts were discussing the location for the 2024 All-Star game.
Barkley was not shy in expressing his dislike for San Francisco, which is the hometown of Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green. When Green complained about the frigid temperatures in Indianapolis, Barkley took the opportunity to criticize San Francisco.
“Hey Reggie, if you had a choice between being in the cold in Indianapolis or being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco, which would you choose?” Barkley asked, sparking a heated discussion among the analysts.
Barkley’s comment caught the attention of commentator Candace Parker, who quickly defended San Francisco. However, Barkley did not back down, saying, “You can’t even walk around down there,” referring to the city’s ongoing homelessness and public health issues.
Green, who appeared frustrated with Barkley’s criticism of his hometown, tried to defend San Francisco, saying that it is possible to walk around the city. But Barkley quickly fired back, saying that you would need a bulletproof vest.
This is not the first time Barkley has spoken out against San Francisco. During the 2022 NBA Finals, Barkley commented on the city’s cleanliness issues, saying that the rain in Dallas was not only delaying the game but also needed in San Francisco to clean up the city’s dirty streets.
“The bad thing about all this rain, it’s not raining in San Francisco to clean up those dirty-a** streets they got there,” Barkley said. “San Francisco, it’s a great city, but all that dirtiness and homelessness, y’all gotta clean that off the streets.”
San Francisco has been facing a growing homelessness problem and record numbers of overdose deaths in recent months. In November, authorities in the city were heavily criticized for clearing homeless encampments and open-air drug markets before the arrival of top world leaders for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
Barkley out here ROASTING the city of San Francisco. #NBAAllStar2024 #Indy pic.twitter.com/arIwbRYufr
— Hammer and Nigel (@hammerandnigel) February 19, 2024
Despite these issues, San Francisco is set to host the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, with the All-Star Game taking place at the Warriors’ Chase Arena. It remains to be seen if Barkley will attend the event and what his comments about the city will be at the time.
