Charles Barkley Says There Are Many Gay NBA Players in the League

Indexed: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]Let's move on really quickly, guys. So, Charles Barkley says, "Homophobia is what's stopping a bunch of gay players in sports from coming out." Uh Charles Barkley is making it clear that athletes shouldn't have to hide who they are.

[00:00:15]During a recent episode of the NBA Tip-Off with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley's the conversation turned to homophobia as the men reflected on Jason Collins' passing. He's the first openly gay NBA player. Smith noted how groundbreaking Collins' coming out moment was, saying, "13 years ago, it was a big deal. The reason it doesn't feel as big now at times is because people like him." But Barkley pushed back on the idea that things have changed. "It would still be a big deal," he said. Barkley went further, speaking candidly in the climate of sports society. "We live in a homophobic society. Anyone and anybody who think we got a bunch of gay players uh who doesn't think we have a bunch of gay players in the sport is just stupid," he said, adding, "There is such animosity towards the gay community."

[00:01:03]Collins, who was drafted in the first round in 2001, came out in 2013 and retired the following year. He died from an aggressive form of cancer on Tuesday.

[00:01:12]So, I want to piggyback off of what Charles Barkley said, and I want to extend it.

[00:01:20]Okay?

[00:01:22]You would be an idiot to believe we don't have a bunch of gay everything in every facet of life, okay? But for this conversation, I want to specifically focus on sports, and I want to specifically focus on the black community. Uh first of all, yes, homophobia runs very rampant because it is counterintuitive to black male masculinity, right? You know what I'm saying? And then you've got certain things like football and football, basketball, sports is synonymous with being a straight man.

[00:02:02]You got to be hard, you got to be you got to be straight. You know what I'm saying? That's the way it goes. And so to think that we presently live in a world where it's comfortable for people to come out in professional sports is just foolish. The media would have a field day with it, the fans would have a field day with it, and we're not going to pretend like and I know some people hate the words toxic masculinity, but we're not going to pretend like sports organizations are not toxically masculine. You know what I'm saying?

[00:02:35]Like we're not going to pretend like coming up through the ranks from the time you're a little boy until the time you grow older, you don't hear things like stop being a stop being a wuss, oh that's gay, oh you acting like a you play ball like a girl.

[00:02:50]Those things stay ingrained in a person and it makes it very challenging for them to override all of that and come out the damn closet. There is no world there is absolutely no world where um the sports arena right now is a safe place for people to come out. It just isn't. Y'all, I don't even have to have this conversation because we already know how the black community is when it comes to being gay. And then too when you start talking about you know, sports which is considered to be a man's man's activity and gay people consider it considered to be effeminate and soft, the two just don't mix. Now, will we see a big, you know, Kumbaya in this lifetime? Probably not, but I will say that we are definitely seeing things soften as time progresses and I think as generations go on and generations go on, I think that who is gay and who is straight will not be a thing. I honestly don't think it will be a thing, but as for right now, yeah, I if if if I was in the NBA, if I was in the NFL, I'm going to be very honest with you, I wouldn't feel comfortable coming out.

[00:04:12]I wouldn't feel comfortable coming out because it is a big deal and if it was not a big deal and if it wasn't a big spectacle, we wouldn't even be having the conversation. Imagine if Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh or any of those people would have came out during their heyday, LeBron. You know what I'm saying? It doesn't feel good to be the topic of conversation across every channel having the insides of your life fodder for conversation. Nevertheless, we're going to get it together one of these days as a society, but I definitely love what Charles Barkley said and I'd be more interested in what Charles Barkley also knows, but I will say this, guys, the you know, we always talk about and people always say things like it's 2026, just come out already. If you gay, just come out. If y'all want people to just come out, then you've got to make it safe for them to do so. Nobody owes you their tea and everybody's just trying to stay safe and it it it make it and I'll tell you something for guys who are able to pass for straight, there is a lot of safety in being in the closet. See, you've got some people, more effeminate guys, who have no choice but to come out cuz y'all already know, but there's a lot of privilege that comes along with being straight presenting and straight passing and being able to fly through the radar.

[00:05:38]You get all the perks of being gay and you get to get dingaling and bussy.

[00:05:45]Can I tell y'all a secret? I'm going to make y'all Can I tell y'all a secret?

[00:05:49]No, well, it's not a it's not a secret for me. It's a secret for y'all.

[00:05:56]Y'all going to get real mad, but I'm going to tell y'all anyway.

[00:06:00]>> [laughter] >> Y'all know booty feel better than vagina, right?

[00:06:10]And that's why we got a saying that say, "Your could never compete with his preference, okay?" Your could never compete with his preference.

[00:06:21]Cuz once that man stick that thing in there, baby, once once he stick it in there tight and right, that's why that's I I don't want to I don't want to upset y'all tonight. I don't want to upset I don't want to upset y'all tonight. But I'm telling y'all y'all better keep y'all better keep y'all punks y'all better keep y'all boyfriends and y'all husbands from riding them and them punks. Cuz once they take a dip once they take a dip in that thing, baby, your could never compete with his preference. It just can't. It >> [laughter] >> I'm just I'm just playing with y'all. I'm just playing.