NBA Hall of Famer and TNT broadcaster Charles Barkley told The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday that he believes every NBA player during his era and since have played with a gay teammate at some point. Barkley was a guest on the show and was asked if he had ever played with a gay teammate during a live phone interview.
"Of course I did and everybody did," Barkley said in response to Patrick's question. "It's not a big deal. It's an insult to gay people to think they're trying to pick up on their teammates. But everybody's played with a gay teammate."
Patrick went on to ask Barkley about the process of a teammate confessing their sexual orientation to him, "It's obviously discussed privately," Barkley said. "Until someone has the courage to come out, it's mostly an unspoken word. I've had several teammates that discussed it. Maybe three or four teammates in sixteen years"
Barkley went on to elaborate on his theory of the growing number of players playing alongside a gay teammate. The Hall of Famer also further elaborated on his opinion of Collins coming out of the closet.
"Jason Collins has played on six teams, so that's at least six different teams who have played with a gay guy," Barkley said. "Everybody has played with a gay guy, you just didn't know he was a gay guy. So, if a gay guy comes out it's none of your business. I know we live in a nosey society but I wish the kid the best."
On April 29th, Dan Patrick broke the story of Collins coming out, and it immediately rose to the top of the sports news cycle. Sports Illustrated, whom Patrick is associated with, features an article told from Collins' perspective of his sexual orientation in this month's issue.
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