Charles Barkley’s tone was a lot more somber Tuesday night on the set of Inside the NBA as conversation turned to the tragic Texas school shooting that left 18 children and three adults dead.
Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith were previewing Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals playoff series between Golden State and Dallas, but talk turned to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a city of about 16,000 people approximately 85 miles west of San Antonio.
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“I never want to get numb to,” Barkley said. “... You send them to school. You never used to think when you sent your kids to school that something bad would happen. ... It’s really heartbreaking.”
The comments came not long after Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr gave a passionate plea for a bipartisan law that would make background checks mandatory for every gun sale.
“It’s just a sad day for our country,” Barkley said.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.