Even Charles Barkley knows when a joke goes too far. While broadcasting the NCAA men’s Final Four in San Antonio this year, he had a chance to directly address the audience at the Capital One Jam Fest, where he humorously remarked on the size of the women present, saying, “Y’all do got some big ol’ b*tches,” Barkley laughed onstage.
However, during an appearance on the SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast, Barkley expressed a desire for a do-over. “I probably would want a do-over on that one, to be honest with you,” he stated. “Instead of saying b*tches, I would just say ‘women.’ Number one, I didn’t get any blowback. But I would prefer, I think I fumbled that one. I didn’t like using the word b*tches. So that’s on me.”
Barkley’s playful interactions with the women of San Antonio have been extensive and usually light-hearted. While he sometimes straddles the line between compliment and mockery regarding their appearances, he has frequently commented on the bodacious bodies of San Antonian women—much like his remarks about the beaches of Galveston. In this instance, though, he regretted his choice of words, admitting, “That was a fumble, a screw-up on my part. I take full responsibility. But nobody said anything to me, I’m smart enough to know when I screw up.”
As he suggested, TNT did not punish Barkley as he had been before for this joke, but he still wishes to retract his comments.
