Charles Barkley Labels Social Media Followers ‘Idiots’

Charles Barkley declares he’ll never become part of the social media scene, insisting “I don’t want to talk to those idiots.”

Known as “The Round Mound of Rebound” during his Hall of Fame career, the current “Inside the NBA” analyst added in his rant to TMZ Sports “I don’t feel the need to talk to every idiot in America.”

Barkley has not been shy about sharing his views, and lately, he has been in the news for his remarks on the deadly shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and the grand jury’s decision not to charge officer Darren Wilson for the death of the unarmed black teen. During the hearings, several witnesses stated that Brown seemed to have his hands up in surrender when he was shot.

In the days after the shooting and in the wake of the decision, protests and demonstrations broke out in the St. Louis suburban town and across the country, some of them leading to clashes with police and even some looting and destruction of property.

“Not real black people, those are scumbags,” Barkley said of those who torched property and businesses in Ferguson. Later in a CNN interview, Barkley added “the cops are awesome. They’re the only ones in the ghetto between this place being the wild, wild west. The notion that they’re just killing black people is ridiculous.”
Barkley continued “we’ve always had a racial issue in this country, and the biggest problem with it is we never discuss race until something bad happens. We never have meaningful dialogue over a cold beer when things are going good.”

Back in 1993, Barkley was also involved in controversy when he appeared in a Nike TV commercial proclaiming “I am not a role model. A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be your role models?”

The now 41-year-old Barkley played 16 NBA seasons with three different teams. His best years were in Philadelphia, where he played eight seasons and averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds.