TNT college basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament between the Michigan Wolverines and the Connecticut Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana; San Antonio mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks during a vigil hosted by Centro San Antonio for those who have died in the flooding across Texas in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 07 July 2025
TNT college basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament between the Michigan Wolverines and the Connecticut Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana; San Antonio mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks during a vigil hosted by Centro San Antonio for those who have died in the flooding across Texas in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 07 July 2025
The mayor of San Antonio confronted Charles Barkley about his years of criticism toward the city during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said, "I learned a long time ago, you can't teach courage, you can't teach class. And Mr. Barkley reminds us of that"
Barkley told the mayor he was "just joking around" and said he's "so glad to be back in your beautiful city"
The mayor of San Antonio had some words for Charles Barkley.
Barkley, 63, and the Inside the NBA crew are in San Antonio, Texas, for the Spurs' first two games against the Knicks in the NBA Finals, and mayor Gina Ortiz Jones took the opportunity to confront the former basketball star about his years spent making digs at the city.
The broadcast played clips of some of the shots Barkley has taken at San Antonio, which include digs at the women who live in the city and calling the famous River Walk a "dirty little creek," before introducing the mayor.
Ortiz Jones said to Barkley and crew, "I learned a long time ago, you can't teach courage, you can't teach class. And Mr. Barkley reminds us of that."
Barkley took the jab in stride and told Ortiz Jones, "Mayor, I'm so glad to be back in your beautiful city. I took a walk today, everybody was fantastic."
He then added, "You know I'm just joking around."
Ortiz Jones also poked fun at Barkley's recurring interest in San Antonio's churros.
"Chuck has lots of thoughts about the churros," she said before revealing that she brought churros to the Inside the NBA crew.
"We know he's on a diet but we know he's not really on a diet, so here are the churros. Chucky churros," said the mayor, much to the delight of the NBA analysts.
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Fans seemed to enjoy the segment with the mayor on Wednesday. "I don’t know what I love more, Chuck or hearing Shaq laugh. His laugh makes me laugh," wrote one user on X. Another chimed in, "Charles is a legend."
The Knicks defeated the Spurs in Game 1 of the Finals on Wednesday. The teams will play Game 2 on Friday, June 5, in San Antonio before the series moves to New York City.