Turns out Charles Barkley just can’t stay out of trouble when he’s in San Antonio. Back in town for the NCAA men’s championship game, the Hall of Famer did what he’s famously done before—took aim at the city’s women. During the Final Four festivities, Barkley reignited his long-running bit about San Antonio and its “big ol’ women!!”
Sir Charles was one of the big names at Capital One’s pre-game bash in Hemisfair Park. He was getting fans hyped before Florida clinched its third national title with a tight 65-63 win over Houston at the Alamodome. As usual, Chuck got his flowers, with fans cheering as he thanked San Antonio for hosting. But right when things seemed to wrap up smoothly, Barkley did what Barkley does—dropped the mic with a jab that made jaws drop.
“San Antonio, thank you—and yes, y’all got some big b—— here,” he quipped. This time, though, the crowd seemed to roll with it. The response? Loud laughs, cheers, and that classic “Did-he-really-just-say-that?” energy only Chuck can stir up. However, it’s worth noting that Barkley’s once relentless teasing of San Antonio women has significantly decreased in recent years. By his own admission in 2021, TNT finally instructed him to ease off the jokes after facing criticism and accusations of fat-shaming, a consequence of what he referred to as “cancel culture.
Meanwhile, something hilarious was happening above all the drama. As part of the Capital One show, both Barkley and Magic Johnson had their blimps flying over the city. And in a twist of irony, fans started pointing out the visual punchline—Barkley, known for his size jokes, literally floating as one of the biggest things in the sky.
Even blimp pilot Cesar Mendez got in on the joke, saying, “Well, that’s why we brought Magic on board just to kind of diffuse the tension in San Antonio.” He quickly clarified it was all just in fun. “But no, it’s all good fun. You know everyone’s had a good laugh over it. Obviously that’s not the case, but it’s just, you know, funny comments.”
May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
But do you know why Chuck nowadays doesn’t take jabs at San Antonio Women?
Cancel culture stopped Charles Barkley’s San Antonio’s Women jabs
Well, if you’ve been watching Inside the NBA for the past decade, you already know Chuck’s obsession with San Antonio women isn’t exactly new. Since at least 2014, Charles Barkley has made the Alamo City his go-to punchline. From cracking jokes about “big ol’ women!!” to claiming they rock “bloomers” instead of Victoria’s Secret—Chuck has gone all in. And the rest of the crew? Either laughed along or shook their heads in disbelief.
Still, the jokes never came without heat. Back in the 2014 playoffs, Spurs fans clapped back hard—literally wearing shirts that read “Barkley Don’t Know” at home games to protest the jabs. This tangible display of local disapproval highlights that while some might find his humor amusing, it has also been a source of offense and contention within the San Antonio community. But Barkley? He doubled down. He brushed off the outrage and tossed in another burner, saying that any attractive woman in the crowd had to be a tourist. Classic Chuck.
But, things shifted in 2021. Barkley admitted that TNT finally told him to back off after a local article blasted him for the comments. “You can’t even have fun nowadays without these jackasses trying to get you canceled,” he vented.
Not only that, speaking on 106.7 The Fan, he added, “They won’t even let me talk about San Antonio anymore when I’m always talking about their big ol’ women.”
Eventually, it all came to a head when one woman writer’s piece accusing him of fat-shaming forced TNT’s hand. Barkley tried to defend the bit, saying, “I’m like, ‘First of all, I didn’t call anybody personally fat in San Antonio. I was just joking around, and now this one lady wrote this article. … So, y’all gonna let one lady, we’ve been having fun with this for probably 10, 15 years and when we go to San Antonio, the people are having a blast with it.’” But since then, the jokes have definitely slowed down.
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