American basketball legend Charles Barkley continues to anger leftists by holding very moderate political opinions. Last month, Barkley took issue with black celebrities promulgating anti-Semitic and anti-white racism. And on Thursday, Barkley again ticked off leftists by defending professional sports players who choose to stand during the national anthem.
The first game of the NBA returned on Thursday in a matchup between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans. Every player, coach, and even the referee took a knee as the national anthem began to play. The players wore shirts with the words "Black Lives Matter" emblazoned on the front.
While Barkley said that he was glad to see everyone unified during Thursday's game, Barkley also said a player who doesn't kneel for the national anthem is "not a bad person."
"I want to make that perfectly clear," Barkley reiterated, "I'm glad they had unity, but if we have a guy who doesn't want to kneel because the anthem means something to him, he should not be vilified."
Charles Barkley, we are worried about the people who ARE kneeling being vilified. pic.twitter.com/SkEmeaKGQe
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) July 30, 2020
Some people, like former Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka, would argue that the bad people are actually the ones kneeling while their country's anthem is being played. Even Barkley's mild defense of those who choose to respect the national anthem and the country it symbolizes is anathema to today's left.
While many on social media accused Barkley of supporting police brutality and carrying more about white people than people who share his skin color, ESPN host Jay Williams bravely endorsed Barkley's opinion.
I firmly stand by what Charles Barkley just said.. if you choose not to kneel for the national anthem, you are NOT a bad person and you should NOT get vilified.
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) July 30, 2020
How quickly we went from one player in the NFL protesting the country's anthem to it being a controversial statement to defend a person who stands during the national anthem, a person that didn't even exist during Thursday night's NBA game.