Charles Barkley has dared ESPN to fire him over his outrageous comments about Cardi B during Game 3 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
The rapper performed at halftime during the game at Madison Square Garden and when ESPN showed a brief clip of her performance, Barkley chipped in with a comment that immediately went viral.
‘I don’t know if those (are) B’s,’ Barkley called out from off-camera about the performer’s appearance.
‘They might be Cardi D’s… I’m pretty sure those aren’t B’s… She’s got the wrong initials.’
As his fellow analysts were left cackling with laughter, they shared a tweet from a fan claiming that Shaquille O’Neal was ‘glued’ to Cardi B’s performance instead of the broadcast.
‘I sure am,’ O’Neal called out, with the laughter at Barkley’s comment continuing around him.
Charles Barkley has dared ESPN to fire him over his controversial Cardi B comments
Cardi B performed at halftime of the Spurs vs Knicks NBA Finals Game 3 in New York
Addressing the moment for the first time since that game, the 63-year-old insisted he is not concerned if his ESPN bosses disliked his joke.
‘I’m hoping they fire me,’ Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show. ‘I got six or seven years left on my contract that they know I got no chance of doing.
‘I would love for them to fire me and have to pay me for the next six or seven years.’
He continued: ‘I would love to get fired, I’m not gonna lie. Because there’s zero chance I’m gonna be working the next six or seven years, zero!
‘Come on, man. People can’t take a joke? They can kiss my ass. I appreciate all the support I’ve gotten all these years, but if anybody thinks everybody likes them, they’re a fool. So if people don’t like me or don’t have a sense of humor, they can kiss my ass.’
Barkley will be back at MSG on Wednesday night for Game 4 between the Knicks and Spurs with the series poised at 2-1 after the Spurs won the previous game.
