Charles Barkley: You Can't Play NBA Basketball Without Fans

Charles Barkley joined Colin Cowherd today to talk about the immediate future of the NBA. Cowherd, like most of us, hopes the NBA can return at some point and asked Barkley what he thought of the idea that the league returns without fans in the stands. Barkley doesn't see it.

"I think it's impossible to play without fans. You want to showcase your talent & the crowd has a huge effect upon the game... Can you imagine playing a Game 7 with nobody in the stands?" — Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/QvpuRzN7Wd
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 26, 2020

Now, it's obviously not impossible, but it would certainly be weird. The NBA was actually considering it before Rudy Gobert tested positive. But if it becomes a possibility, the league doesn't really need to take into account whether or not players will be able to trash talk fans. If the games are broadcast on television, players would still be showing off their abilities, it's just hard to imagine playoff games happening in silence. Having said that, regular season games in the same circumstances sound appetizing right now.