Charles Barkley. Credit: Shutterstock.
Charles Barkley believes the NBA needs to help put a end to North Carolina’s House Bill 2 — even if it means taking the All-Star Game with it.
The former basketball player and current analyst for Inside the NBA appeared on The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday, where Barkley reiterated his belief that the game should be moved from Charlotte, where it is set to be held next at the city’s Allstate Arena next February.
“I told my boss, I don’t want to act like I’m jumping on a sword,” Barkley said, “but I’ve talked to Adam Silver, we need to move the All-Star Game.”
“I hope they don’t put me in a situation where I have to boycott the All-Star Game,” he added.
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“As a black person, I’m against any form of discrimination,” Barkley told CNN in April. “Against whites, Hispanics, gays, lesbians, however you want to phrase it. … We can figure out [where to play instead]. I know Atlanta wants to host it.”
Doing so would have a huge economic impact on North Carolina. The NBA All-Star Weekend is projected to bring in $100 million in revenue at a time when the Tar Heel State remains plagued by boycotts. Since the bill’s passage, over 160 companies have condemned HB 2, while PayPal and Deutsche Bank cancelled planned expansions in the state.
North Carolina could lose up to $5 billion in revenue every year the bill isn’t repealed, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute.
That’s why Adam Silver, the commissioner for the National Basketball Association, believes that the league can work with North Carolina and Gov. Pat McCrory to put an end to the discriminatory legislation. In an April interview, Silver stated his belief that “the best role for the league to play here is through constructive engagement towards change … behind closed doors.”
I’m getting tired of this “behind closed doors” business. It’s a big thing with Trump, and here it is again. “Oh, we’re going to do things, we’ll announce that all over, but it’s none of your business, it will be behind closed doors. I am not okay with this. The way I see it, this is simply allowing open bigots a way to keep on applying their bigotry on the QT, or allowing open bigots a graceful way out of now embarrassing and costly bigotry. I am not at all okay with allowing McCrory a face-saving exit on HB 2, and I don’t think he’d take it anyway.
Silver, who has said that he will wait until the end of summer to make a decision on whether to move the All-Star Game, stated that he believes change will come.
I don’t. Perhaps Silver has the clout to force a change. I suppose we’ll see.
Via The Advocate.
Yes, I wish Silver would see that he can be one of those to push the change that should come. Also well said, Mr Barkley.
I like to see that people are keeping the pressure on.
However … It really galls me that we’re seeing that corporate speech and money are what matters. As much as I want the people of NC and their elected representatives to do the right thing, basically what’s going on is Apple, Expedia, Ticketmaster, etc -- they’re flexing their muscles. OK, it’s nice that they’re flexing them in the right direction but our corporate overlords are fickle gods that can’t be relied upon.
I’d prefer to see pitchforks and torches and tumbril rides for all involved.