Skip to content

Barkley: It would be 'stupid' to cancel NBA season

LISA O'CONNOR / AFP / Getty

Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley is strongly against canceling the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season, citing the importance of the players' platform and their paychecks.

"I think it will be stupid to not play for two reasons," Barkley said on ESPN's "Get Up!" Monday, according to TMZ Sports. "No. 1, if they don't play, they're gonna be out of sight, out of mind for the rest of the year."

Barkley added, "They're gonna lose billions of dollars that the players could use to go into their own communities and do some great stuff. So, it's not good on any part."

During Friday's conference call featuring 80-plus players, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving reportedly stated his opposition to the NBA's restart due to the ongoing social unrest in the United States.

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard sided with Irving, releasing his own statement a day later. The big man said the NBA restarting would be a "distraction" from the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I have no idea what Kyrie and Dwight are talking about," Barkley said. "But it'll be a catastrophic mistake not to play."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox