Charles Barkley Warns NBA’s Social Justice Efforts Are ‘Turning Into A Circus’: ‘We’re Missing the Point’

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley warned in an interview on CNBC that the NBA’s initiatives for social justice are “turning into a circus” and that players are focusing more on nicknames on the back of their jerseys instead of “trying to do some good stuff.”

In the wake of nationwide protests over the last two months following the death of George Floyd, the league announced players could swap the name on the back of their jersey to “Black Lives Matter” or “I Can’t Breath,” among others. Over 80 percent of the 350 players in the NBA’s bubble chose to add one of the 29 phrases on their jersey. Notably, LeBron James decided against it.

“What’s happening now is we’re turning into a circus,” Barkley said. “Instead of talking about racial equality, racial justice and economic justice, we spend all our time worrying about who’s kneeling and not kneeling, what things are being said on buses, what’s being said on jerseys. I think we’re missing the point.”

Other star players have publicly denounced the NBA’s decision to restart its season amid protests protests, as well. Some players worry that police reform and racial justice would be put on the back-burner if the league began in July. Kyrie Irving, who led a call on the matter, said he doesn’t support playing in Orlando.

“We need police reform, prison reform,” Barkley said. “Those are No. 1 and No. 2 things to focus on. We need the cops, good cops out there policing bad cops. The media, we all got a job to do … When we spend time focusing on what’s on the jersey, that’s gonna defeat purpose. My concern is this is turning into a circus instead of trying to do some good stuff.”

“Sports used to be a place where fans could go and get away from reality,” Barkley continued. “…People lost jobs and the last thing they want to do is turn on the television to hear arguments about stuff all the time.”

Watch above, via CNBC.