Charles Barkley vows to donate his salary during the NBA lockout
NBA legend and TV analyst Charles Barkley has declared that he might donate his salary during the NBA lockout. The former NBA All-Star centre works for TNT as an analyst in the popular talk show ' Inside the NBA'.
The NBA imposed a lockout on July 1st after the expiry of the old Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Efforts to formulate a new one have so far borne no fruit and the lockout has already wiped out free agency, rookie transition camp, NBA training camps, preseason games and the first two weeks of the next NBA season.
Barkley has opined that since he earns his money by commentating on the NBA, if there is no season then he shouldn’t really be getting paid. He has therefore been considering what to do with the money coming from his TNT contract, and charity is in his thoughts.
"I haven't told anybody, but I'm actually -- believe it or not -- I'm leaning toward donating it to charity," Barkley said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "I don't think it's cool for me to take money I haven't earned.”
"My decision is either going to be defer it or give it to charity."
In the last month or so, NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have made concerted efforts to negotiate a deal that both parties view as fair, but so far though they have not been able to converge on such a deal.
The Basketball Related Income (BRI) remains a core issue, with the NBA wanting the players to take 50 percent of the take after they had drawn 57 percent in the last ten years. The players on the other hand have resolved not to come below 53 percent.
Similar differences exist on other issues; including the salary cap structure which NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter labeling it as a “blood issue” for the players.
In all the turmoil, Barkley is not sure if there will be any season at all. In fact, he predicted a while ago that the whole 2011-2012 season could be wiped out. If that were to happen, Charles says there is just no justification in him taking the money.
"The problem I have is if these guys hold out all season, it's going to be a lot of money," Barkley said."That's why I have to make that decision. I haven't made the final decision.”
"I don't feel comfortable taking money for not working. I'll either defer it or give it to charity."
Sir Charles is one of the more colourful personalities in the NBA. Apart from entertaining, Charles is also a very straightforward and principled individual, and it looks like he has taken a principled stance once again, this time at his own expense.
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