San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones finally got her chance to fire back at Charles Barkley after more than a decade of jokes about the city, and she did not waste the opportunity. Ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, Jones joined the Inside The NBA crew on national television and immediately put Barkley in the spotlight.
“I learned a long time ago that you can’t teach courage. You can’t teach class. And Mr. Barkley reminds us of that,” Jones said.
The jab instantly drew laughs from the panel, including Barkley himself. To his credit, Barkley embraced the moment and reminded everyone that his comments about San Antonio have always been jokes.
“Everybody, I took my walk today. Everybody was fantastic. They know I’m just joking around,” Barkley said.
But the mayor was not finished. As she presented Barkley with a box of churros, she delivered the knockout line.
“Chuck has lots of thoughts about the churros. We know he’s on a diet, but we know he’s not really on a diet. Chuck E. Churros.”
The entire set erupted in laughter as Barkley could only smile and take the joke. The moment was years in the making.
Barkley’s running feud with San Antonio dates back to 2010 when he famously joked that “they ain’t got no skinny women down there.” Over the years, the Hall of Famer repeatedly referred to San Antonio’s ‘big ol’ women’ and joked that the city was a “gold mine for Weight Watchers.”
His most famous running gag involved churros.
Barkley often joked that San Antonio women loved churros so much that it explained the city’s weight problems. In 2017, after finally trying churros himself, he hilariously doubled down.
“I want to apologize to the women of San Antonio. I had churros last night. Man, them damn things good. Them churros are the bomb.”
The jokes became so famous that they essentially turned into a recurring segment on Inside the NBA. Despite the constant teasing, most of San Antonio has taken the jokes in stride. Barkley has repeatedly stated that he loves the city and its people, even if he cannot resist making fun of them.
That made Jones’ response even better. She was not angry or offended. Instead, she used Barkley’s own humor against him and scored one of the funniest moments of the Finals. Barkley managed one final shot during the segment, claiming the famous River Walk should actually be called the ‘Creek Walk.’
But on this night, San Antonio clearly won the battle. Unfortunately for Spurs fans, the city could not complete the perfect evening.
The Knicks spoiled the party with a 105-95 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson led New York with 30 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Victor Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks, but struggled with efficiency, shooting just 6-for-21 from the field and 2-for-9 from three-point range. De’Aaron Fox also had a rough night, scoring only seven points on 3-for-13 shooting.
The Spurs now trail 1-0 in the series. But at least for one night, San Antonio finally got the last laugh against Charles Barkley.
