WATCH: Charles Barkley Defends Athletes Standing Up For Anthem

Speaking on a pre-game podcast on TNT, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley defended athletes who chose not to kneel for the national anthem, asserting, “My thing is, listen. The national anthem means different things to different people. I’m glad these guys are all unified. But if people… If people don’t kneel, they’re not a bad person. I want to make that perfectly clear. I’m glad they had unity, but if we have a guy who doesn’t want to kneel ’cause the anthem means something to him, he should not be vilified.”