NBA TNT Analyst Charles Barkley. Photo / Getty Images
NBA legend Charles Barkley said something he shouldn't have, and ESPN personality Rachel Nichols is making sure he knows about it.
Nichols, who returned to ESPN last year after three years at TNT, took exception to her former colleague's comments, in which Barkley said the Golden State Warriors play "little
girly basketball."
On "The Jump" on Friday, Nichols took a few minutes to discuss Barkley's comments, addressing the dangers of equating femininity with weakness, of which Barkley was guilty of doing. While Barkley had tried to amend possible damage done by his comments - he said he loves women's basketball, but didn't like the 3-point heavy style of play the Warriors are known for - Nichols wouldn't let him off that easy.
"I did text him last night, and I said, 'Chuck, think about how it feels for girls watching you to hear you use 'girly' or 'girls' as a substitute word for weak or lame? It's not OK,'" Nichols said. "And his point back to me was that he was just having some fun, and, as he put it, quote 'intent matters.' And he is right. It does.
"But to borrow one of Chuck's own favourite phrases, in my opinion, that is still not good enough of a reason to feel OK about using that expression. And this isn't a PC [political correctness] police thing. I'm not offended in any way."
