Charles Barkley isn’t one to ask softball questions.
In the season opener of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley, alongside his co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, had NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as their guest. At the end of the segment, Barkley deviated from the commercial break and posed a “serious question” to the commissioner.
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“There’s a couple disturbing incidents of domestic violence in the NBA right now. What are we doing to address that?” the retired NBA player asked. “Because you can’t put your hands on women, man. And we should be on the forefront in sports.”
Silver’s answer? “We’re addressing it.”
The commissioner commenced his response by stating, “That’s an area where we’re not seeking to outcompete other leagues when you mention ‘forefront.’ So, I believe all the leagues are making efforts to address this issue.”
He proceeded to acknowledge the NBA’s players association, saying, “This was not a confrontational process.”
“We put in place a new program for how we deal with, first of all, accusations of domestic violence even before they’re prosecuted,” he told the hosts. “Part of it goes to training of our players, counseling of our players to make sure they understand during high stress situations that, obviously, never resort to violence against anyone.”
He continued, “So we’re addressing it. We have, you know, state-of-the-art counseling professionals dealing with our players but of course, if a guy you know does cross the line, the consequences are enormous.”
Before Barkley could reply to the commissioner, Ernie Johnson concluded the already overextended interview.
Saved by the bell.
