ORLANDO, Fla. — Basketball legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are facing backlash over their response to the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case.
“I feel just bad the young lady lost her life, but we do have to take into account her boyfriend did shoot at the cops and shot a cop,” Barkley said during pregame coverage of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals Thursday.
On Wednesday, a grand jury decided not to bring charges against Louisville police for Taylor’s March 13 killing and only three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes.
The decision sparked protests and demonstrations across the country. Many NBA players have used their platform to bring attention to Taylor’s case and to amplify calls for change.
O’Neal, also anchoring the pregame show, agreed with Barkley and argued that while “no-knock warrants” should be abolished, the officers involved were simply following orders.
“A homicide occurred, and we’re sorry a homicide did occur, but if you have a warrant signed by a judge, you are doing your job. And if someone fires at you, I would imagine that you would fire back,” O’Neal said.
Barkley then took a stance against defunding the police.
“I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ Who are Black people supposed to call? Ghostbusters, when we have crime in our neighborhoods? We need police reform,” he said.