NBA legend Charles Barkley reacts to Texas school shooting: ‘I never want to get numb to it’
Charles Barkley discussed how kids are supposed to be safe at school: ‘It’s just a sad day for our country’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Texas elementary school shooting that took the lives of at least 19 children and two teachers Tuesday prompted many within the sports world to speak out.
One of those sports figures was TNT's "Inside the NBA" analyst Charles Barkley.
"This stuff man … I never want to get numb to it," Barkley said on TNT’s pregame show prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You send them [kids] to school. You never used to think when you send your kids to school something bad was going to happen," Barkley continued. "But you go back to Sandy Hook, and now it’s happening years later. It’s just really heartbreaking. And my thoughts are with all those parents out there and grandparents, because you send your kids to school, they're supposed to be safe."
Retired NBA player Charles Barkley speaks as Fall Out Boy takes the stage at American Express All-Star Live at Hammerstein Ballroom Feb. 12, 2015, in New York City. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for American Express)
The attack Tuesday took place at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, when an 18-year-old gunman entered the school and opened fire. According to officials, the gunman was shot and killed inside the school.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
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"It’s just a sad day for our country," Barkley added.
Prior to the tip of Game 4 between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters at his pregame news conference he would not be discussing basketball.
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"I’m not gonna talk about basketball," Kerr said. "Nothing’s happened with our team in the last six hours. We’re going to start the same way tonight. Any basketball questions don’t matter.
"Since we left shootaround, 14 children were killed 400 miles from here. And a teacher," Kerr continued. "And in the last 10 days, we’ve had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo. We’ve had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California, and now we have children murdered at school."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}STEVE KERR GETS EMOTIONAL WHEN DISCUSSING MASS SHOOTING AT TEXAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A clearly emotional Kerr then began to shout and pound the podium as he called on politicians to act.
Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors stands for a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, prior to Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center May 24, 2022, in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
"When are we going to do something?!" Kerr shouted. "I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there … I’m tired of the moments of silence. Enough!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There’s 50 senators right now who refuse to vote on HR-8 [Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021], which is a background check rule that the House passed a couple of years ago. It's been sitting there for two years," Kerr said. "There’s a reason they won’t vote on it, to hold onto power."
The American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks, held a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting prior to the start of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Fox News' David Aaro contributed to this report.