Charles Barkley's many years of making comments about the city of San Antonio have come back to haunt him. The city's mayor has confronted him during an appearance on ESPN's NBA coverage.
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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones sat down at the desk with Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Barkley while wearing a San Antonio Spurs jacket. She then took aim at Barkley due to his comments over the years.
"I learned a long time ago, you can't teach courage, you can't teach class," Mayor Ortiz Jones said. "And Mr. Barkley reminds us of that often."
When Barkley heard these comments, he leaned back and laughed. The rest of the panel joined in on the fun before the back-and-forth continued. Barkley talked about how people know he is joking around, but he also took time to call the San Antonio River Walk a "Creek Walk."
The comments about San Antonio are nothing new for the NBA player-turned-analyst. He has spent much of his post-playing career cracking jokes about the city and its residents.
This includes one time when he grabbed a Home Depot bucket and said that he would raise money for the San Antonio Air Conditioning Fund.
These comments came after the air conditioners failed during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Series between the Spurs and Miami Heat. LeBron James, then a member of the Heat, had to exit the game early due to cramping.
"These big old women sucked all the air out of the arena and had it hot in there," he said back in 2014. "...Listen, I feel bad all those big old women sucked all the air out. Almost killed LeBron James. They almost killed the best player in the world."
Barkley did not stop with the comments in 2014. He has continued to poke fun at San Antonio over the years, especially women who eat many Churros to the point that they have to change their clothing purchases.
"San Antonio is a wonderful city," he said at one point. "You know what I think about the Spurs organization, but they got some bigguns down there, Ernie (Johnson). I'm telling you. I'm telling you!"
Years later, these comments became part of the 2026 NBA Finals coverage. Mayor Ortiz Jones turned her attention to the NBA analyst. She even showed up with some special "Chucky's Churros," which Barkley ate live on air.
"You can't mess up a Churro," he said as the rest of the NBA on ESPN team grabbed some samples for themselves.
