Charles Barkley Does the Right Thing During NBA Lockout
When other NBA superstars are sending out tweets about the NBA lockout, saying how the owners are keeping them away, or, in the case of Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, responding to some of his “haters,” there are people like Charles Barkley coming out and saying something good about the lockout.
The outspoken NBA Hall of Fame member and media personality has stepped up with a generous plan of what he will do with his salary from Turner Broadcasting Network, during this lockout.
Charles was a guest on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000, when he pondered what to do with his salary during this work stoppage, “I haven't told anybody, but I'm actually, believe it or not, I'm leaning toward donating it to charity. I don't think it's cool for me to take money I haven't earned. My decision is either going to be defer it or give it to charity."
"The problem I have is if these guys hold out all season, it's going to be a lot of money," Barkley said."That's why I have to make that decision. I haven't made the final decision."
This consideration is coming from the same man who once said, “I am not a role model” in an advertising campaign for Nike. Aside from the ad, he was arrested for throwing a man through a plate glass window at a bar, after the man had thrown a drink on him.
But, through all of the controversy that Charles has had, he is known for never backing down when he believes in something.
As in this case, not taking money when people are not getting paid, or being laid-off, because of the NBA lockout.
"There are two groups I feel bad for," Barkley said. "I feel bad for the people who work for these teams, because they're going to start laying off some of these people soon. And then I feel bad for the people who work at these arenas. They're going to take the brunt of this. And that's unfortunate."
Charles put his support behind NBA Commissioner David Stern during this lockout, as Stern is making it a point to save the smaller markets, that are trying to keep up with the teams with bigger payrolls.
“If you notice, he mentioned every small-market team. The NBA owners are going to protect these small-market teams. They don't like the fact all the stars want to play in big cities. And this whole thing is going to be about: We're not going to be like baseball, where you have 20 bad franchises that are really like a minor league system until the players get good enough and then they go to the Yankees or Red Sox.
"I thought it was very telling that Commissioner Stern mentioned every small-market team. That's what this thing is about. They're not going to let just the big markets dominate like they do in baseball."
For a person, like Charles, who once said that he is not a role model, to consider donating his salary, is exactly what a role model does. The path that he is paving is exactly what other NBA personalities should be following.
It’s the people that Charles pointed out, who work for the teams, suffering during this time. They are the ones that need this lockout to end.
