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The Hall of Fame player and NBA TV analyst asked the commissioner an uncomfortable question.
Usually, television interviews promoting the opening games of the NBA season are mundane affairs.
Charles Barkley wasn’t having it.
The NBA Hall of Fame player (2006) and now TNT basketball analyst put NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the spot during an “Inside the NBA” segment when he pressed him about how the league addresses domestic violence issues.
“There’s a couple of disturbing incidents of domestic violence in the NBA right now. What are we doing to address that?” Barkley asked. “Because you can’t put your hands on women, man. And we should be at the forefront in sports. … So what are we as a league going to do about that?”
Several NBA players have recently been accused of domestic violence. In two high-profile incidents, Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets missed the 2022-2023 season and remains under suspension following domestic violence allegations.
The Houston Rockets traded guard Kevin Porter Jr. to the Oklahoma City Thunder after Porter was arrested and charged with assaulting his girlfriend; he pleaded not guilty. The Thunder immediately released Porter.
Silver, in a video available on YouTube, at first deflected before briefly providing specifics on the NBA’s actions.
He said the NBA isn’t looking to compete to be at the forefront with other leagues, noting that they’re all trying to address the domestic violence issue.
“We put in place a new program for how we deal with, first of all, accusations of domestic violence even before they’re prosecuted,” he said on the tape. “Part of it goes to training of our players, counseling of our players to make sure they understand during high-stress situations that, obviously, never resort to violence against anyone.”
He added, “So we’re addressing it. We have, you know, state-of-the-art counseling professionals dealing with our players, but of course, if a guy you know does cross the line, the consequences are enormous.”
Barkley didn’t get a chance to ask a follow-up since Ernie Johnson, the program’s host, wrapped up the interview.
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