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The NBA season is underway, and the NBA on TNT squad got a chance to chop it up with Commissioner Adam Silver to address some important issues.
Charles Barkley got straight to the point, avoiding topics like the new in-season tournament or load management and approached the more severe topic of the league’s issue with domestic violence.
Before the season opener, Barkley was told to go to commercial but instead asked about the disturbing incidents that took place during the offseason and what Silver plans to do to rectify it.
The Athletic reports that the question was completely unscripted and appeared to catch Silver off-guard as he fumbled through his answer.
“Our players association, credit to them, this wasn’t adversarial. We put in place a new program for how we deal with, first of all, accusations of domestic violence even before they’re prosecuted. Part of it goes to the training of our players,” Commissioner Silver explains. “Counseling of our players to make sure they understand during high-stress situations obviously never to resort to violence against anyone and so we’re addressing it. We have state-of-the-art counseling professionals dealing with our players, but of course, if a guy does cross the line the consequences are enormous.”
Barkley does have a point. Domestic violence has run rampant in the NBA lately.
Just in the last month, Kevin Porter Jr. –who’s facing two felony charges connected to allegedly attacking his former girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick– was used as a pawn in a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder and eventually waived.
Charlotte Hornet Miles Bridges is serving a suspension to start the season for an attack on his girlfriend Mychelle Johnson that left her in the hospital in June 2022.
“I hate that it has come to this but I can’t be silent anymore,” Johnson posted to Instagram alongside pictures of scratches on her face, a bloody ear and bruises on her fingers and back. “I’ve allowed someone to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life.”
Then earlier this month, he was arrested for violating his protection order and probation from that alleged assault because he allegedly threw billiard balls at Johnson’s car and broke the windshield while their kids were inside.
After turning himself in, he was back at the Hornets practice facility the very next day.
