Charles Barkley blasts NCAA’s ‘stupidest’ betting rule, has ‘zero faith’ in rule enforcement

Charles Barkley has never been one to hold his tongue, especially when he’s got something to get off his chest. On Monday, the NBA’s former Round Mound of Rebound shredded the NCAA for its recent move to allow college athletes to bet on pro sports during a three-minute rant on the current state of collegiate athletics in the day and age of NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal.

“I’m not sure it’s improved the college game. I’m not sure it’s helped the college game at all. I think … No. 1, I always want players to get whatever they can get. But the system we have in place right now is unsustainable. We can’t be asking people to give up millions and millions of dollars every year. We can’t have kids be free agents every year,” Barkley told a gaggle of reporters Monday during the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic charity event with now-former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl in Opelika. “There’s nobody here that’s got a job where they can get another job if somebody offered them more money every year. That’s just not how the world works. I’m not sure how we’re going to fix this thing. Like I said, I want the players to get whatever they can get, but asking people to come up with millions – and lots of millions too – because you know it’s only going to go up. There’s nothing that’s ever going to go down. So, they’re going to keep asking for more and more and more.

“But my biggest problem is the transfer portal. You can’t come and cherry pick my players, and it’s really going to kill the small schools. Because the big schools are going to come and cherry pick your players every year. And that’s not fair at all,” Barkley continued. “… And the NCAA, I have zero faith in them. Zero faith in them. I saw a thing last year where they said junior college doesn’t count, which I don’t think that’s fair. If you’re in college for six and seven years, you should be a doctor and not a player. If you’re going to be in college for six or seven years, you should be Dr. Barkley and not Charles Barkley the basketball player at five different schools.

“But I saw something last week that let me know we need to do something about the NCAA where they announced they’re going to let college players bet on pro sports. If that’s not the stupidest shit. You talk about putting your kids in the kitchen and turning the stove on. Like, when I heard that, I said: ‘This has got to be a joke,’” Barkley concluded. “… I mean, these are the people we have running college sports right now, and we want to know why it’s a shitshow. Anybody that think that’s a good idea should have their head examined. Why would you even do that if you’re the NCAA? Are you serious right now? … We already have issues with kids gambling now when they shouldn’t be gambling. This is just crazy.”

This report will be updated.