Former professional basketball player and current television sports analyst Charles Barkley took the opportunity of a celebrity golf tournament to stand up for Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney, and transgender rights.
In a series of expletive-laden rants, the NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst called out “rednecks” and “a**holes” who are boycotting Bud Light beer over its association with trans woman influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“I want to say this,” Barkley can be seen saying in the video first posted to TikTok. “I want y’all to drink this f*ck*g beer. I want y’all to drink this f*ck*g beer. I got three cases of Bud Light. Hey, and I want to say this. If you’re gay, bless you. If you’re transgender, bless you. And if you have a problem with that, f*ck you!”
A second video taken the following evening captures Barkley continuing his defense of transgender rights.
“I’m gonna buy some drinks for y’all, and I’m gonna buy Bud Light,” Barkley can be seen in a second video shot the following evening. “Hey, and I’m gonna tell y’all something. All you rednecks or a**holes who don’t want to drink Bud Light, f*ck y’all.”
Barkley also can be seen telling the audience he’s not “worried about getting canceled” because he would retire and spend the rest of his life “playing golf every f*ck*ng day.”
Known as the “round mound of rebound” for his rebounding prowess during his 16-year NBA career, Barkley was participating in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. The annual event features sports and celebrity amateur golfers playing to benefit charity. This year’s tournament was won by current NBA Golden State Warrior star Stephen Curry who shot an even par for the tournament.
A notoriously awful golfer, Barkley finished 81st out of a field of 92. Over three rounds of golf, he scored 64 over par.
The former NBA MVP has a history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community. During a nationally televised NBA game in 2011, Barkley spoke out against antigay bigotry.
“We have a thing going on now – people discriminating against homosexuality in this country,” he said during a pre-game tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I love the homosexual people. God bless the gay people. They are great people.”
Two years later in 2013, he said every player in the NBA has played alongside a gay teammate during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
“Yeah, of course, I did,” Barkley said when asked if he had played with a gay teammate. “Everybody did. Everybody played with a gay teammate, Dan, and it’s no big deal. First of all, I think it’s an insult to gay people to think they’re trying to pick up on their teammates. But everybody’s played with a gay teammate.”