Will Charles Barkley leave the world of sports behind to become a full-time politician?
Back in 2024, Barkley teased the possibility of him running for office with former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. He said they would “win running away” if they were included in the 2028 election.
While on “The Michael Smerconish Program” this week, Barkley was urged to run for U.S. Senate. The Hall of Famer made it clear that he has zero interest in becoming a politician.
“Listen, man, I am not gonna go to work with fools every day that don’t care about — I tell people this all the time, Milton. The American public, they’re like in a game, but they don’t even know they’re in a game,” Barkley said, via Awful Announcing. “Let’s say, if you get elected, and you’re a Republican or a Democrat, do you really wanna screw the other group? Like, nah. If I get elected, I want the Democrats and the Republicans to be on the same roads. I want them all to have the same economic opportunity. I’m not for, like, if I win, I want the other team to lose.”
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
We can’t say the same thing about ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
Despite having a lucrative contract with ESPN, Stephen A. Smith has teased the possibility of him running for president in 2028.
“I have no desire to be a politician,” Smith told The Washington Post. “I have no intentions on being a politician, but I left the door open, A, because friends and loved ones of mine have asked me to do so and, B, because if these candidates appear to be as atrocious as they’ve been and we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel to go up against what the other side is throwing in our direction, then will I entertain it? Yeah, I’ll entertain it.”
Smith has not yet made a final decision on whether or not he’ll run for office. If he chooses to leave ESPN behind, he may need an endorsement from media members like Barkley.
