Charles Barkley, a member of the NBA Hall of Fame, recently was interviewed on a WBRC podcast, in-which he called the Nike ad featuring himself in 1993 the “greatest thing I ever did in my life” and said he did not agree with Nike’s recent characterization of Colin Kaepernick as a hero.
Barkley, a native of Leeds, Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University, discussed his famous ‘I Am Not A Role Model’ Nike Ad.
“These young black kids, they are so brainwashed to think they can only be athletes or entertainers. I want them to think about being doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, firemen, policemen, things like that,” Barkley told WBRC’s Rick Karle.
He later discussed the controversy regarding kneeling during the national anthem.
“I personally would stand for the anthem,” Barkley explained.
However, he does believe individuals should have the right to choose to kneel, viewing it as a form of social justice protest.
Yet, as a former face of Nike himself, Barkley seemed exasperated at the company putting Kaepernick on a pedestal.
“I wish that Nike – I want to know what Nike’s next step is. I don’t want Nike – I’m a big-time Nike guy, I’ve been with Nike [for years] but I want to know what they’re going to do, especially for the black community,” Barkley said. “I don’t want them just making money on this Kaepernick thing – whatever it is.”
He added, “I’m sick of talking about kneeling. What are y’all actually going to do for the community? Because all they’re doing is making people mad, with the kneeling. I challenge all these guys, I say, ‘Okay, you made your point, I agree with your point, but what are you going to do?’ And that’s my challenge to Nike going forward. Okay, you made your little commercial. Now what are you going to do? Are you just going to reap the benefits?”
Barkley thinks that the wave of athletes kneeling has gotten old.
“At this point, we’re three years in basically and all we ever talk about is who’s kneeling and who’s not kneeling. We’re not even talking about any issues anymore,” Barkley advised.
The original issue behind the kneeling, black Americans being killed by police officers, is one that Barkley is particularly passionate about. He also has a controversial take, discussing the media’s role in making racism seem more prevalent than Barkley believes it is.
“We’re brainwashed to see it on television, or we read the newspaper and think it’s true. And we don’t think for ourselves. Black people and white people don’t dislike each other. We get along, actually, pretty well. Are there some caveats? Of course. But there are no race wars going on,” Barkley opined.
He added, “[M]ost black people, we’re not thinking every time we leave our house we’re going to get shot by the cops. That’s disingenuous by the media, and when it happens, it explodes. But it’s interesting – they never show it when [police] kill a white person.”
“I tell my friends, ‘You ever notice every time a white cop shoots a black person, it becomes like CNN and everyday news, but when they kill a white person, they never talk about it at all basically?’ Because [the media] has sinister motives. They want to divide and conquer,” Barkley continued.
Barkley praised President Trump’s work on boosting the economy, however said overall he is “not a fan.” Yet, unlike many opponents of Trump, Barkley does not have some derangement syndrome.
“He’s the president of the United States. I have to respect that office,” Barkley emphasized.
Listen to the full interview half-hour interview:
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.