Back In The Day NBA

Hall Of Famer Charles Barkley The Latest To Defend Caitlin Clark

Shandel Richardson

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley talks on set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley talks on set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NBA great Charles Barkley never shies from voicing his strong opinion.

He did it as a player and as an analyst. He refuses to hold back, so it was no surprise he blasted how some current and former WBNA players have treated rookie sensation Caitlin Clark.

Barkley gave his thoughts during an appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast.

“These ladies—and I’m a WNBA fan—they cannot have f---ed this Caitlin Clark thing up any worse if they tried,” Barkley said. “People believe what we say on television. Just because people don’t like you or your personality, they can’t get on TV and slander you. It’s just total bulls---.

Clark has played a large role in the increased popularity of the WNBA. Television ratings and ticket sales are an all-time high because of large fans. Some feel it has sparked jealously among many of her peers. It has been the hottest topic since her arrival this summer.

“This girl is incredible," Barkley said. "The number of attention, eyeballs she’s brought to college and the pros, and for these women to have this petty jealousness. You’re saying to yourself, ‘Damn, what is going on here?’ And the thing I love about her, she never says a word. But these ladies, who I love and respect their game, they couldn’t have f---ed this thing up any worse. There’s been so much negativity.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com