Charles Barkley has punched hecklers before, and it seemed like he very much wanted to smack another one recently.
Video of a Dallas Mavericks fan trolling Barkley, presumably during the Western Conference Finals, went viral over the weekend. In the video, the heckler wearing a Luka Dončić jersey saw Barkley walk by and quickly roasted the Basketball Hall of Famer for never winning a title.
Bro got Charles Barkley to threaten him😭😭 pic.twitter.com/wgvqnZBO6U
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) June 9, 2024
“The guy with no championship rings,” the heckler yelled as Barkley stared him down. “He sucked at basketball, zero rings! Haha, he has zero rings! You’re Jordan’s son, imagine not winning an NBA championship.”
It very much seemed like a premeditated attempt at trolling everyone’s favorite NBA analyst for clicks. And it worked, with the video garnering millions of views over the weekend. But Barkley didn’t seem entertained, threatening to punch the heckler as he walked by.
“Now what if I punched him in the face?” Barkley asked as his security ushered him forward. Despite being held back by his own security, Barkley would turn back and remind the fan one more time that he could have punched him.
“He would have felt bad if I would’ve punched him in the face,” Barkley added.
It wouldn’t have been the first time Barkley punched someone in the face. In 1991, Barkley was arrested in Milwaukee after he allegedly punched a heckler outside of a bar. He was also arrested in 1997 after allegedly tossing someone through a bar window in retaliation to the person throwing ice at him.
Barkley has long been an advocate of letting NBA players punch hecklers. During the 2021 NBA Playoffs, he responded to an incident where Russell Westbrook had popcorn thrown at him by claiming the fan should be brought to center court so they could “settle it like men.” Barkley echoed the sentiment again in 2022, when he said players should be given five minutes at center court to “beat the hell” out of a heckler.
Watch any one of those clips and you’ll see, Barkley wasn’t kidding. Hecklers be warned, troll Charles Barkley at your own risk.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com