Charles Barkley
Just because you say something doesn't make it controversial, and it doesn't make you a bad person.
If I screw up, I'm gonna say, 'You know what? I really screwed up.' That's all you can do. Some people gonna forgive you, some people not gonna forgive you. That's just the way it works.
I know I'm never as good or bad as one single performance. I've never believed in my critics or my worshippers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena.
I'm a mad dog whose only concern is winning.
It's interesting - the greatest country in the world, we shouldn't have people starving. We shouldn't have young people not getting something to eat.
I love New York City; I've got a gun.
To think that everybody's like you is silly.
Any time you criticize these young guys, they call you a hater. They never ask you if the criticism is fair or not.
We're the only ethnic group that says, 'Hey, if you go to jail, it gives you street cred.'
It drives me crazy when guys making $30 million are complaining about playing basketball two days in a row.
People like you as long as you agree with them. But that doesn't bother me.
I think anybody who is racist is an idiot whether they are black or white.
I live in Arizona, and I don't like the way they treat Hispanics there.
If you are born poor, whether white or black, you are going to be in a bad neighborhood and go to a bad school. If you are making three million dollars a year, a couple hundred thousand in taxes ain't gonna kill you.
In the locker room, and when I'm with my friends, we use racial slurs... What I do with my black friends is not up to white America to dictate to me what's appropriate and inappropriate.
White America don't get to dictate how me and Shaq talk to each other.
I'd love to see an openly gay player, a really, really good gay player come out.
I was only 5'10'' until I was a senior in high school.
What bothers me the most are the Republicans and the Democrats: they act like little kids. They are lying to real people out here trying to get through life.
My perspective is never gonna change on that... We've got to do a much better job to take care of poor people, because you cannot put all the poor people in bad neighborhoods, send them to bad schools, and say, 'Good luck in life.' That's just not right.
Kids are born into the situation they're born into, and obviously, they have no control over that. And we, as adults, it's up to us to take care of kids - that's part of your moral responsibility. I always tell people, 'There's two groups we should take care of - old people and young people.'
I think Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach in history over there in Tuscaloosa.
It's my job, with the position of power that I'm in and being able to be on television, I'm supposed to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves.
I really like ESPN. They do a great job.
Every player has played with gay guys.
I don't think of myself as giving interviews. I just have conversations. That gets me in trouble.
Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin' idiot.
Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.
Kids are great. That's one of the best things about our business, all the kids you get to meet. It's a shame they have to grow up to be regular people and come to the games and call you names.
I understand the power of symbols, and if I had anything on my house that seriously offended someone, I'd take it down if for no other reason than common courtesy.
We're not all supposed to think alike.
Bill Clinton is the greatest president of my lifetime. Period.
My family got all over me because they said Bush is only for the rich people. Then I reminded them, 'Hey, I'm rich'.
I love women's college basketball, but I don't want it in the NBA.
I'm not going to get upset because somebody said something bad about me.
That's one of the problems with this country: they put you in a box. You're a Republican, you're a Democrat, you're conservative, you're liberal. And that's really unfair.
Nobody doesn't like meat.
I accept the media for what they are. Most of them are really good people. Some of them are scumbags.
I've only met LeBron casually. He's always been great to me. I think I've been great and cordial to him, but this notion that we have to be friends - we're never gonna be friends. And that's not a negative thing.
The NBA man, we have always been progressive.
When the cops are trying to arrest you, if you fight back, things go wrong.
Just because you watch 'Grey's Anatomy' doesn't mean you can do the operation.
I'm willing to sit down with anybody and have constructive criticism.
I know that I'm never as good or bad as any single performance. I've never believed my critics or my worshippers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena.
We don't need refs, but I guess white guys need something to do.
I don't know what that gas is made of, but it can't smell any worse than Ernie Johnson 's gym bag.
It ain't like we're curing cancer or anything, we're watching basketball.
I think you have an obligation to be honest.
I never would say a player stinks. Ever. I'll tell you their team stinks, and first of all, they know their team stinks. And the fans know their team stinks.