Charles Barkley weighed in on the idea of canceling the rest of the NBA season following George Floyd’s death and called it a “catastrophic mistake.”
“I think it will be stupid to not play for 2 reasons,” the NBA analyst shared on Barkley on ESPN’s “Get Up!” The comments were noted by TMZ in a piece published Monday. (RELATED: Charles Barkley Doesn’t Remember One Of His Games Because He Was So Drunk)
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“Number 1, if they don’t play, they’re gonna be ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ for the rest of the year,” Barkley explained. (RELATED: LeBron James Appears To Bounce Ball Into TV Broadcast On Purpose)
The legendary professional basketball player went on to note that LeBron James is one of the most famous athletes in the United States, but without the NBA season, “he won’t be visible anywhere. So, it’s out of sight out of mind.”
“Also these guys got to realize this money is going to come back and they’re gonna lose billions of dollars that the players could use to go into their own communities and do some great stuff,” Barkley added. “So, it’s not good on any part.”
The retired player continued, while noting that he has “no idea what” Kyrie Irving [Brooklyn Nets] or Dwight Howard [Los Angeles Lakers] are talking about following their statement the NBA’s return “will be only be a distraction” to the Black Lives Matter movement following Floyd’s death, the man who died while in custody of a Minneapolis police officer.
“I have no idea what Kyrie and Dwight are talking about,” Charles shared. “But it’ll be a catastrophic mistake not to play.”