Charles Barkley Says Canadian Hockey Team Was Motivated in Win Over USA Because ‘They Didn’t Want to Be the 51st State’

Charles Barkley theorized Thursday that Team Canada was motivated by President Donald Trump’s comments in its win over Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Canadians beat the Americans 3-2 in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship Thursday night. The win came just days after USA beat them 3-1 during the round robin portion of the tournament.

Judging by the hype surrounding the game, it was arguably the most highly-anticipated hockey game in years. In addition to the countries being bitter rivals on the ice, tensions between their respective governments has added another layer to the rivalry. Not long after Trump took office, he threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Canada. In a surprising move, he also stated his desire to annex Canada and make it the 51st state in the union.

Not long after the game ended, Barkley suggested on Inside the NBA that Canada’s win was a direct result of Trump’s words.

“I’m not gonna be a sore loser,” Barkley said. “Congrats to Canada. I’m sorry we got the tariffs on you.”

Kenny Smith then asked Barkley if he was implying that Canada played harder because of those tariffs.

“They were playing harder because of the tariffs,” Barkley responded, “and they didn’t wanna be the 51st state. That’s motivation!”

Watch above via TNT