Top 101 Charles Barkley Quotes

My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character.

If you are black on television, you are probably going to be some kind of thug, gangster, or portrayed in a negative light. If you are some type of Muslim, you are going to be blowing stuff up. If you are Hispanic, you are going to be some type of gangbanger. I’ve felt like this for years.

I don’t think of myself as giving interviews. I just have conversations. That gets me in trouble.

My perspective is never gonna change on that… We’ve got to do a much better job to take care of poor people, because you cannot put all the poor people in bad neighborhoods, send them to bad schools, and say, ‘Good luck in life.’ That’s just not right.

I’m a mad dog whose only concern is winning.

The NBA man, we have always been progressive.

One thing about being famous is the people around you, you pay all their bills so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check.

One of the worst days of my life was telling Dick Ebersol I was going to TNT.

If you get a chance to play with great players, that’s half the battle.

I think people got more common sense than people give ’em credit for.

My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character.

Racism is here and will always exist, but we can’t use it as a crutch.

I’m not a role model… Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.

I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play.

One of the worst days of my life was telling Dick Ebersol I was going to TNT.

In the locker room, and when I’m with my friends, we use racial slurs… What I do with my black friends is not up to white America to dictate to me what’s appropriate and inappropriate.

It’s my job, with the position of power that I’m in and being able to be on television, I’m supposed to stand up for the people who can’t stand up for themselves.

What I try to do is, I just want the fans to enjoy the game.

We need the cops, especially in the black community.

Just because you watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ doesn’t mean you can do the operation.

If I weren’t earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming.

If I screw up, I’m gonna say, ‘You know what? I really screwed up.’ That’s all you can do. Some people gonna forgive you, some people not gonna forgive you. That’s just the way it works.

The only people who distrust the cops are crooks. They’re not out there just harassing innocent people. Maybe sometimes they do. But there’s no inherent situation where cops are deliberately out there harassing people.

You can’t sit on the sidelines of life.

You know it’s going to hell when the best rapper out there is white and the best golfer is black.

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.

When the cops are trying to arrest you, if you fight back, things go wrong.

To think that everybody’s like you is silly.

Look, I’m in the top 20 of players who ever lived.

I remember I’d be sleeping in the airport at 5 o’clock in the morning, traveling three hours, and playing a game that day. We never even chartered until my third year in the NBA.

Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin’ idiot.

I was only 5’10” until I was a senior in high school.

Racism is the greatest cancer of my lifetime.

I love New York City; I’ve got a gun.

Everybody wants to talk about black and white, when the situation is really about rich people against poor people.

Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train.

The Republicans always do a good job of dividing and conquering. They do a really good job of making black folks, poor white folks, and Hispanics not like each other.

I’m never going to be one of those guys who gets on TV and yells and screams. That’s not how I do my business. But I’m very aware of social responsibility.

I live in Arizona, and I don’t like the way they treat Hispanics there.

That’s one of the problems with this country: they put you in a box. You’re a Republican, you’re a Democrat, you’re conservative, you’re liberal. And that’s really unfair.

Just because you say something doesn’t make it controversial, and it doesn’t make you a bad person.

When I get on TV, I’m going to be talking about a silly basketball game, and I’m going to be having a lot of fun doing it. But I’m very aware of all the social stuff going on.

I know that I’m never as good or bad as any single performance. I’ve never believed my critics or my worshippers, and I’ve always been able to leave the game at the arena.

It’s interesting – the greatest country in the world, we shouldn’t have people starving. We shouldn’t have young people not getting something to eat.

All the poor white people, all the poor black people, all the Hispanics, they’re in the same boat. They’ve got no economic opportunities.

Bill Clinton is the greatest president of my lifetime. Period.

You can’t sit on the sidelines of life.

I really like ESPN. They do a great job.

I have voted Democrat my entire life.

I’ve only met LeBron casually. He’s always been great to me. I think I’ve been great and cordial to him, but this notion that we have to be friends – we’re never gonna be friends. And that’s not a negative thing.

When the cops are trying to arrest you, if you fight back, things go wrong.

Neither one of the parties is doing anything for poor people. They’re both full of it. Black people have been voting Democratic their whole life, and they’re still poor. And the Republicans don’t do anything for poor people, either.

I’ve only met LeBron casually. He’s always been great to me. I think I’ve been great and cordial to him, but this notion that we have to be friends – we’re never gonna be friends. And that’s not a negative thing.

If I weren’t earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming.

At some point, I don’t want to have any obligation. And just chill out.

Anybody who walks out peacefully, who protests peacefully, that’s what this country was built on.

I got some cash from agents. I’ve talked to the NCAA. I think that should be legal. I want some money, too; everybody else is making money. I want to go on dates. I want to go buy myself some new suits. I want to buy myself some new sneakers, and I paid the agents back.

In the locker room, and when I’m with my friends, we use racial slurs… What I do with my black friends is not up to white America to dictate to me what’s appropriate and inappropriate.

I think you have an obligation to be honest.

I’m not going to waste my time worrying about these Confederate statues. That’s wasted energy.

I remember I’d be sleeping in the airport at 5 o’clock in the morning, traveling three hours, and playing a game that day. We never even chartered until my third year in the NBA.

I think it’s a travesty that the NBA can’t just tell these guys to play basketball two days in a row. It’s just a joke to me. We flew commercial, and we were able to play back-to-back.

People like you as long as you agree with them. But that doesn’t bother me.

What we, as black people, need to do is we need to worry about our education.

I’m not paid to be a role model, parents should be role models.

It’s interesting – the greatest country in the world, we shouldn’t have people starving. We shouldn’t have young people not getting something to eat.

I respect and admire what cops do.

Kids are born into the situation they’re born into, and obviously, they have no control over that. And we, as adults, it’s up to us to take care of kids – that’s part of your moral responsibility. I always tell people, ‘There’s two groups we should take care of – old people and young people.’

We don’t need refs, but I guess white guys need something to do.

I don’t care what people think. People are stupid.

Look, I’m in the top 20 of players who ever lived.

Any time you criticize these young guys, they call you a hater. They never ask you if the criticism is fair or not.

But when I see a story on welfare on television, they only show black people.

I’m no role model.

It’s my job, with the position of power that I’m in and being able to be on television, I’m supposed to stand up for the people who can’t stand up for themselves.

I understand the power of symbols, and if I had anything on my house that seriously offended someone, I’d take it down if for no other reason than common courtesy.

Kids are born into the situation they’re born into, and obviously, they have no control over that. And we, as adults, it’s up to us to take care of kids – that’s part of your moral responsibility. I always tell people, ‘There’s two groups we should take care of – old people and young people.’

If you’re a poor white person and your life sucks, it’s easy for you to blame Hispanics cos you don’t want to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the reason my life sucks.’ The Republicans do a good job exploiting that.

I’m not going to waste my time screaming at a neo-Nazi who is going to hate me no matter what.

As a fan, I don’t want to have my team out of it by Day 1.

Anybody who is racist, I just I think they are an idiot.

I’m never going to be one of those guys who gets on TV and yells and screams. That’s not how I do my business. But I’m very aware of social responsibility.

I know I’m never as good or bad as one single performance. I’ve never believed in my critics or my worshippers, and I’ve always been able to leave the game at the arena.

Poor people cannot rely on the government to come to help you in times of need. You have to get your education. Then nobody can control your destiny.

I just grew up a poor black kid in Alabama with a single mom and two brothers.

I’d love to see an openly gay player, a really, really good gay player come out.

Everybody wants to protect their own tribe, whether they are right or wrong.

We, as black people, we have a lot of crooks.

The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work.

I am a big pro-choice guy.

Fans have this perception that they can say anything to you because you are a celebrity.

I would love to be a general manager just for the challenge.

I love sports because it takes me away from reality, and I tell people, ‘No matter how bad your life is, if you are having problems at home, you are having problems at work, that’s the beauty of sports.’

My idea of religion is we are supposed to bring people together. We are not supposed to judge other people.

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.

We can’t pick out certain incidentals that don’t go our way and act like the cops are all bad… Do you know how bad some of these neighborhoods would be if it wasn’t for the cops?

I accept the media for what they are. Most of them are really good people. Some of them are scumbags.

I don’t care what people think. People are stupid.

What bothers me the most are the Republicans and the Democrats: they act like little kids. They are lying to real people out here trying to get through life.

If I screw up, I’m gonna say, ‘You know what? I really screwed up.’ That’s all you can do. Some people gonna forgive you, some people not gonna forgive you. That’s just the way it works.

One of the reasons I don’t trust the media is you can’t have a double standard for guys you like and dislike.