In a television interview with Rick Karle of WBRC in Birmingham, NBA legend and Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley was asked about those symbols, and he had plenty to say.
“I’m not going to waste my time worrying about these Confederate statues,” he said. “That’s wasted energy. You know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna keep doing great things. I’m gonna keep trying to make a difference number one in the black community — because I’m black — but also [I’m] gonna try to do good things in the world. I’m not gonna waste my time screaming at a neo-Nazi who’s gonna hate me no matter what, and I’m not gonna waste my time worried about these statues that they’ve got all over the country.”