Is Charles Barkley's beef with the city of San Francisco officially squashed?
While the years-long feud might not officially be over, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and TNT analyst certainly made amends this weekend when NBA All-Star Weekend came to the Bay.
Before All-Star Saturday Night at Chase Center, Barkley revealed he visited Glide Memorial Church earlier that day with Warriors senior vice president of communications Raymond Ridder, where the "Inside the NBA" star volunteered serving meals to homeless individuals in the city's Tenderloin. And then, Barkley put his money where his mouth is.
"Well, I spent the day at a homeless shelter," Barkley said on Saturday's TNT broadcast. "The people were amazing. It was called Glide. Man, they work so hard over there, and I want to give them a lot of love and some shine. ...
"Thanks to Raymond; the people at Glide were awesome, so I'm going to donate $250,000 to Glide."
Charles Barkley is known for calling the shots on TV, but he served meals at GLIDE and shared time with the community today. It's not about fame; it's about showing up. If you can, find a way to do the same. #GlideUnconditionally pic.twitter.com/lJnmax5VI8
— GLIDE (@GLIDEsf) February 14, 2025
Barkley's visit to Glide with Ridder and subsequent donation came just one day after he stated, "I actually like San Francisco, I really do," on Thursday's "TNT Tip-Off." Barkley also called for the Bay crowd in attendance to help the homeless, which drew some boos.
Golden State Warriors
“See, I said, ‘Help the homeless,’ and some of these people are so stupid they boo,” Barkley said.
Charles Barkley doesn't seem to be making any friends in San Francisco pic.twitter.com/69gSdBdQH9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 14, 2025
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But Barkley has a storied history with the people of San Francisco, frequently drawing ire for his previous comments -- like when he called the city "rat-infested" in January and compared it to hell before the 2022 Western Conference finals. At last year's All-Star Game in Indianapolis, Barkley took time during a TNT segment with Warriors star Draymond Green to disparage the city.
"Hey Reggie [Miller], if you had a chance to be in the cold or being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco, which would you choose?" Barkley said.
"Oh that's crazy," Green responded. "You're not welcome. They're not letting you in."
On Saturday, however, Barkley received an up-close look at all of the good work people in the city do to help those in need -- and it seemed to have moved him enough to help contribute to that effort.
There's no telling if Barkley ever will be able to mend his rift with San Francisco, but Saturday's gesture was a good start. His longstanding disdain for Warriors fans might be a different story, though.
