Charles Barkley is unafraid to tell you what he thinks about, well, anything, but especially when it comes to the NBA and the sport of basketball. That’s why it’s not surprising when Barkley states an opinion that may not be particularly popular.
It’s part of what makes him valuable to TNT on the broadcast: Barkley will call out something he doesn’t agree with, sometimes out of left field and other times immediately after something happens on the national broadcast. But the best moments for Barkley are those that come out of nowhere, like saying that fans shouldn’t vote for the NBA All-Star Game because they’ve shown they should not be trusted.
Barkley offered this opinion late after the Thursday night broadcasts on TNT, offhandedly saying fans shouldn’t vote for All-Star Game representatives because they have made some big mistakes on their ballots in the past. Well, one ballot in particular.
Charles Barkley's argument against fan voting for the All Star game is pretty damn compelling pic.twitter.com/KJMLayOLxV
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 4, 2019
“I don’t like the fan vote,” Barkley said.
Ernie Johnson pointed out that the fan vote has been happening forever, to which Barkley responded “that don’t make it right.” He then explained why he doesn’t think fans should get a vote in the process.
“What happened last time we let them make a big decision?” Barkley said.
Barkley let the point linger for a while, disgust on his face. Then he made it obvious for those not following along.
“Get a clue: White House,” he said, still scowling.
The obvious flaw in Barkley’s thinking is that there’s no electoral college in the NBA All-Star voting process which, depending on your perspective, probably makes it a more viable democratic process. But his overall point is easy to understand: For an All-Star Game to honor the best and not the most popular, taking away fan voting is the only way to go.
