ATLANTA (CBS Atlanta) – Hall of Famer and current NBA analyst Charles Barkley admitted Thursday to using racial slurs with his friends.
Commenting on Los Angeles Clippers’ Matt Barnes using the “N” word on Twitter and the Miami Dolphins bullying investigation on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” Barkley stated he will continue to use the racial slur around his friends and that white people should not dictate how he talks.
“I’m a black man. I use the ‘N’ word,” Barkley said. “I’m going to continue to use the ‘N’ word with my black friends, with my white friends. They are my friends.”
Barkley compared the current debate to the controversy surrounding Paula Deen, who admitted using the racial slur previously.
“This debate goes back to the Paula Deen thing, where they’re like, ‘Black people use it amongst themselves, it’s in rap records,’” Barkley said. “Listen, what I do with my black friends is not up to white America to dictate to me what’s appropriate and inappropriate.”
