Long before Charles Barkley became the outspoken, hilarious host on Inside the NBA, he was the outspoken, hilarious and sometimes volatile player in the NBA. During his playing days Barkley battled with the media, opposing players, referees and fans.
During an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s The Herd on ESPN Radio, Barkley was asked about his rocky relationship with the fans. No surprise here, Barkley gave a totally blunt answer.
“I’ve been arrested eight times for punching fans. And eight times they deserved it.”
He also jumped to the defense of embattled Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who recently made the news for throwing a water bottle at a heckler during the PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Classic.
Barkley gave the following comments to Cowherd, via Uproxx:
“Ninety percent of fans are great. But it’s the ten percent that I’d like to take out back and just shoot ’em. They’re jealous and angry. It sucks. I just think to myself, ‘Please come close enough to touch me.’ I know I’m fat. I know I didn’t win a championship, but my life is pretty good. And I’m saying to myself under my breath ‘Please touch me.”
Players are expected to have a thick skin but it’s terrible that fans think they can say or do whatever they want without any retaliation.
