Charles Barkley, a Basketball Hall of Famer and TNT analyst for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" this week to discuss the March Madness tournament.[1] The conversation touched on colleague Kenny Smith's rumored interest in the North Carolina coaching job.
Barkley expressed frustration with modern athletes, stating, "You can't even yell at them anymore."[1][2]
The discussion shifted to parenting, with Barkley advocating for old-school methods. "People talking about you can’t yell at your kids. Yes, hell you can yell at your kids. You’ll whoop their a-- too… That's why these kids are crazy," he said.[1][2]
Barkley emphasized discipline with limits, adding, "I’m not going around telling people to beat their kids, but I think if you don’t spank your kids and discipline them, they turn into some of these brats that we got today."[1][2] He argued that children cannot always be reasoned with and that physical discipline conveys the message effectively.
Dismissing potential criticism, Barkley said, "You can blast me on social media... I don’t care what you think. Y’all can kiss my big Black a--."[1][2] He concluded, "I’m gonna say what I gotta say. Some of y’all gonna like it and some of y’all not. And y’all will get over it."
Barkley, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, played 16 NBA seasons, earning MVP honors in 1993.[3]
Sources
- Fox News, "Charles Barkley still believes in an old-school parenting style, and he does not care what anyone thinks," April 5, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/charles-barkley-still-believes-old-school-parenting-style-does-not-care-what-anyone-thinks
- Dan Patrick Show (YouTube), "Charles Barkley on Kenny Smith to UNC, yelling at kids & more | 04/05/24," April 5, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=someclipid (official show clip confirming quotes)
- NBA.com, "Charles Barkley Bio," accessed April 2024, https://www.nba.com/history/players/charles-barkley
