When Charles Barkley's rather violent take on "mean-spirited" NBA fans raised some eyebrows: "Wish you could take them out back and just shoot them"
Charles Barkley has never been afraid to speak his mind. That's what has made the NBA legend such a unique personality.
Throughout his playing career, Barkley was one of the top forwards in basketball. He was a relentless opponent who became one of the greatest rebounding forwards in the history of the game. Off the court, Barkley was just as entertaining. His bluntness when it came to speaking to the media could have rubbed some people the wrong way.
But that's just who Charles Barkley was. He was someone who never backed down from speaking his honest opinion, even if it wasn't a popular one. Numerous times, Barkley has seen his comments get him in trouble.
One of these situations took place in 2012. Appearing on Jim Rome's radio show, Barkley didn't hold back when talking about NBA fans. The Hall of Fame forward went on a rant, saying that fans don't want to hear any criticism about their team. Barkley drew backlash for saying he wished "you could take them out back and just shoot them."
"Fans, man. They love their team and their player. They don't want to hear any criticisms. They just want you to be 100 percent for their team, period. I think it's only a small faction. I think 80 percent are great. Twenty percent, I wish you could take them out back and just shoot them."
NBA legend Charles Barkley never afraid to share his opinions
After playing 16 years in the NBA, Charles Barkley cemented himself as one of the top talents to step on a basketball court. He was an 11-time All-Star and won the 1992-93 MVP award.
When Barkley retired after the 1999-00 season, his next adventure in basketball was just getting started. He went on to become an analyst on TNT's popular basketball show, "Inside the NBA." From there, Barkley blossomed to become one of the most recognizable basketball analysts in sports media.
Charles Barkley almost lost it after being hit in the head with a T-shirt by Warriors fans 😳https://t.co/fz7UTGogdJ
There have been plenty of occasions when Barkley's honest mindset has been a breath of fresh air for the sports media. But he's also had plenty of instances that have rubbed fans the wrong way. One of his most recent instances involved Barkley talking about Golden State Warriors fans during the 2022 Western Conference finals.
While making predictions for the series, Barkley said he was choosing the Dallas Mavericks because he couldn't pick the Warriors because "their fans are obnoxious."