Charles Barkley: ‘Vice President Pence Needs To Shut the Hell Up’

Former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley continued to show his ability to make headlines with candid and pithy analysis Thursday night, this time putting Vice President Mike Pence and his comments on NBA, Lebron James, and China on blast.

What got Barkley started? Writing for the Washington Post, Des Bieler reports:

“Far too many American multinational corporations have kowtowed to the lure of China’s money and markets, by muzzling not only criticism of the Chinese Communist Party but even affirmative expressions of American values,” Pence declared. “Nike promotes itself as a so-called ‘social justice champion,’ but when it comes to Hong Kong, it prefers checking its social conscience at the door.

Barkely did not demurr in his calling out Pence’s comments, saying “let me say this. First of all, Ben, Vice President Pence needs to shut the hell up, first of all.” He then explained that “all American companies are doing business in China. All American companies are doing business in China. I thought the criticism of Commissioner Silver and LeBron James was unfair.”

He then turned to Houston Rockets GM  Daryl Morey, who’s tweet in support of Hong Kong protests started the entire NBA v China controversy, saying “he can say whatever he wants to, but there are consequences.:

“But I don’t understand why these holier-than-thou politicians if they’re so worried about China, why don’t they stop all the transactions with China? President Trump has been talking about and been arguing with tariffs for China for the last two years, but I think it’s unfair for them to do all their business in China, and just because this thing happened to try to make the NBA and our players look bad. All American companies do business in China, period.”

And scene.

Watch above via Turner Broadcasting.