Charles Barkley spoke as the voice of reason on the pre-game show today, saying it would be unfair to bracket the Breonna Taylor case with that of George Floyd.
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Yesterday, there was some consternation in NBA circles with regards to the verdict of the trial of the police officers involved in the Breonna Taylor shooting.
LeBron James posted his dissent in a series of tweets online, while Jalen Rose talked about his disagreement with the ruling in the pre-game and halftime shows of Game 4 between the Heat and the Celtics.
Charles Barkley on why George Floyd and Breonna Taylor cases are different
According to Barkley, the police officers with the no-knock warrant on Breonna Taylor’s apartment were forced to open fire because Breonna’s boyfriend was the first to fire.
This, in his view, contrasts with the George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery cases since neither of these guys were perpetrating any violence.
Barkley’s comments are thus is stark contrast to that of LeBron James and other NBA players, who believe Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend was not at fault at all.
It will be interesting to see how LeBron James and other players react to these comments from Chuck.
Charles Barkley says you can’t put the Breonna Taylor case in the same situation as George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery because her boyfriend shot at the police pic.twitter.com/8dMjVMZp39
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 25, 2020
A few fans feel that Barkley makes absolute sense, whereas others feel he is going to get himself cancelled.
He’s going to get canceled.
— Denlesks (@Denlesks) September 25, 2020
Hey! Common sense! I like that! 👍
— DD (@dyeward24) September 25, 2020
How Barkley is missing some context in the Breonna Taylor case
Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend was a coke dealer. It was him that the police officers were searching for with their no-knock warrant on Taylor’s apartment.
They went there with the belief that there might be a hidden stash there. Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker shot at the police officers believing them to be her ex’s counterparts, since he was known to be abusive.
Taylor was caught in the crossfire between the police and Walker and was an unfortunate victim. But given that the police were shot at, they had little choice but to open fire in self-defense.
