Charles Barkley Comments on Moving 2017 NBA All-Star Game out of Charlotte
NBA Hall of Famer and Turner Sports basketball analyst Charles Barkley said in an interview with CNN's Fredricka Whitfield that the NBA should pull the 2017 All-Star Game out of North Carolina in the wake of the state's new law that requires transgender people to use public restrooms matching the sex from their birth certificates.
The LGBT community and its supporters have decried the law as being discriminatory, and Barkley believes the NBA should support that community, as he revealed in his comments (excerpt via Cyd Zeigler of SB Nation's Outsports):
"I think the NBA should move the All-Star game from there next year. As a black person I'm against any form of discrimination, against whites, Hispanics, gays, lesbians, however you want to phrase it. It's my job, with the position of power that I'm in and being able to be on television, I'm supposed to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves. So I think the NBA should move the All-Star game from Charlotte.
"
The full interview can be seen below:
The NBA also addressed North Carolina's new law in a statement released in late March (via SI.com):
"The NBA is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all who attend our games and events. We are deeply concerned that this discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles of equality and mutual respect and do not yet know what impact it will have on our ability to successfully host the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte.
"
Barkley, an outspoken but respected member of the NBA community, feels the Association should take a strong stance in this case.
Barkley has been vocal on such issues in the past, saying in a statement in March 2015 that Indiana shouldn't host the Final Four or the Super Bowl after the state passed a "religious freedom" law that its detractors feared would be used by business owners on religious grounds as justification to deny LGBT customers service.
Amid widespread backlash, the law was rewritten in April 2015 to add protections to the LGBT community.
Professional sports leagues have been an important voice in these issues. In late March, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed a "religious liberty bill" similar to Indiana's amid pressure from several corporations, including the NFL, which said the bill could threaten Atlanta's opportunity to host the Super Bowl in the future.
You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.
