Despite vowing to boycott the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, Charles Barkley is in San Francisco, but it doesn’t sound like he’s making friends. Screen grab: TNT

Charles Barkley made the trip despite vowing to boycott the 2025 NBA All-Star Game to steer clear of San Francisco. But it doesn’t sound like he’s making any friends.

Barkley has long had a tumultuous relationship with the Golden State Warriors and the city of San Francisco, often making it clear he’s not a fan of either. Last month, Barkley went so far as to say he wasn’t going to “that rat-infested place out in San Francisco” for this season’s All-Star event. Never one to give up a paycheck, however, Barkley is already there, and he’ll be there all weekend.

To kick off this season’s All-Star Weekend, Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson hosted Inside the NBA in front of a live audience Thursday night in San Francisco. And it only took about five minutes before Barkley started referencing the city’s homeless population, which quickly garnered boos from the crowd.


“I actually like San Francisco, I really do,” Barkley insisted in a rare attempt at complimenting the city. “I mean, obviously, hey listen, we got to do something about the homeless. They need their help. We got to clean it up a little bit.”

As the crowd responded with merciless boos, Smith and Johnson quickly pushed back, claiming Barkley just wants to help the homeless population.

“I say, ‘Help the homeless,’ and some of these people so stupid they boo,” Barkley said, seemingly frustrated by the crowd response.

But they weren’t booing the idea of helping the homeless. The crowd was booing Barkley for constantly trashing the city. And here he was again, less than five minutes into his trip to San Francisco for All-Star weekend, and he’s already bringing up something he often mocks the city for. This isn’t a new thing for Barkley. During last year’s All-Star Game, Barkley bashed San Francisco for its  “homeless crooks,” adding that you need a “bulletproof vest” to walk around the city.

The city might have given Barkley a warmer welcome if they felt his pleas were genuine, but they probably don’t appreciate him incessantly associating San Francisco with homelessness and crime. Thus, the boos.

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