In an interview on TNT, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was confronted by Charles Barkley over what the league plans to do over the recent string of domestic violence incidents involving players.
“They said go to commercial, but I’ve got a serious question for you," Barkley asked Silver in the opening night interview. "There’s been a couple disturbing incidents of domestic violence in the NBA right now, what we doing to address that? Because you can’t put your hands on women, man. And we should be on the forefront in sports. … So what are we as a league doing to do about that?"
As reported by The Athletic, Barkley's question was unscripted.
“That’s an area where we’re not looking to compete against other leagues when you say forefront,” Silver said. "I think all the leagues are trying to address this issue. But I know, again, our players association, credit to them, this wasn’t adversarial. We put in place a new program for how we deal with, first of all, accusations of domestic violence even before they’re prosecuted. Part of it goes to the training of our players."
Silver added that the league will provide counseling to players "to make sure they understand during high-stress situations obviously never to resort to violence against anyone." While he said that the league is "addressing" the issue, he didn't say much beyond the topic of counseling. "We have state-of-the-art counseling professionals dealing with our players, but of course, if a guy does cross the line, the consequences are enormous," he said.
Barkley's question comes as several high-profile domestic violence cases among NBA players have made the news. Earlier this year, Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges was suspended after he was hit with domestic violence and child abuse charges. He turned himself in to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office earlier this month after he allegedly violated a protective order that dictated he stays away from the mother of his children.
Former Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in September for allegedly choking his girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick. One of the charges has since been dropped due to "insufficient evidence." Last month, Porter was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in response to the domestic assault charge, but he was waived once the trade was completed. He made headlines in 2020 after he reportedly punched a woman in the face during an altercation.
