Suns legend and ESPN analyst Charles Barkley paid tribute to Jason Collins and shed light on society’s scrutiny of players who come out about their sexuality while playing in a major league like the NBA.
Collins was the first player in the NBA to openly accept that he was gay. The “Inside the NBA” crew paid tribute to Collins and current Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke before the Game 5 match between the Eastern Conference Semifinalists, the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thanks for the submission!
During the segment, Kenny Smith argued that society had progressed far enough for active players to come out without it becoming a major event. However, Charles Barkley was not in tune with Smith’s statement.
•
“We live in a homophobic society, and that’s unfortunate,” Barkley said. “First of all, anybody who thinks we ain’t got a bunch of gay players in all sports, they’re just stupid.”
Later, the Suns’ legend called out the homophobia prevalent in the black community.
“A lot of times, especially in the black community, when you’re gay, you get treated awful. And that sucks, too. But I was proud of him for coming out,” he said.
Jason Collins came out to the public as gay in April 2013. He made the announcement following his trade to the Washington Wizards from the Boston Celtics. No other NBA player has since openly come out as gay.
“That’s A Pretty Man”: Charles Barkley showers compliments on Max Struss’ looks following Game 5 win over the Pistons
Charles Barkley dished out compliments to Max Struss after he helped the Cavaliers take a 3-2 lead in the series. Struss scored 20 points off the bench, shooting 6 of 8 to help the Cavs secure a 117-113 win in overtime. James Harden led the scoring charts for the Cavs with 30-points.
The win was very important for the Cavaliers as they now have a chance to close out the series at their home on Friday. During the postgame analysis on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” show, Barkley was impressed with Struss performance and his looks.
“That’s a pretty man. He’s a good-looking man,” he said. “I would not look him dead in the eyes. I made that mistake with Tom Brady one time… He’s a better shooter than Tom Brady.”
The rest of the crew asked Charles Barkley what he liked about Struss. The Suns legend said that the Cavs guard’s face was the motivation behind his comments.
Edited by Avi Shravan
