Sports

San Francisco Is Full of ‘Homeless Crooks,’ Says Charles Barkley

CATCHING STRAYS

Turns out the analyst really, really hates the city by the bay, which he said was perfectly safe to walk around in—as long as you had your bulletproof vest on.

Charles Barkley
Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images

Charles Barkley took a shot at the city of San Francisco on Sunday night, bashing it as crime-ridden on truTV’s alternate broadcast of the NBA’s 73rd All-Star Game.

During a discussion of the icy weather in Indianapolis, where the game was being played, Barkley posed a question from out of left field: “If you had the chance between being cold or being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco, which would you take?”

Over the objections of his co-commentators, the analyst added, “You can’t even walk around down there.”

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Draymond Green, a power forward who, notably, plays for the Golden State Warriors, took exception, protesting that you can in fact walk around the city. “Yeah,” Barkley shot back, “with a bulletproof vest.”

Barkley’s longstanding hatred for the Bay Area is well documented, with the 11-time All Star player ripping it on air as a “hellhole” in 2013 and a “dirty-ass” city in 2022. As recently as Saturday, he made sure to note that San Francisco was not “one of the great” cities during TNT’s tip-off broadcast. “Relax,” Green snapped in response. “That’s why you’re not welcome there.”

Sunday night’s matchup between the Eastern and Western Conferences ended in the former’s record-breaking 211-186 victory. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard was named MVP after finishing with 39 points, 11 3-pointers, six assists, three rebounds, and one steal.

Read it at USA Today