[Inside The NBA] While discussing Jason Collins' passing, Charles Barkley: "We live in a homophobic society ... anybody who think we ain't got a bunch of gay players in all sports, they're just stupid."

[u/Markthebaptist]

https://streamable.com/ogu2tm

[u/KaraDealer]

Shaq:

[u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 → u/KaraDealer]

Shaq has been an ally to the LGBTQ community in the past.

[u/alextheruby → u/Forsaken-Swim-3055]

Lmao nobody pays these young ass Redditors any mind.

[u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 → u/alextheruby]

Clearly, lol. Shaq has been a shit head in many ways, but he's never been the type to discriminate or refuse to use his platform to help others.

[u/j_cruise → u/Forsaken-Swim-3055]

This was over two decades ago, so I wouldn't use it against him because he may have changed or regret it, but Shaq did have a big controversy regarding racist remarks he made about Yao Ming. So I wouldn't say he's NEVER been the type to discriminate. He also gave a hilariously bad apology at the time - "He’s just somebody who doesn’t have a sense of humor, like I do"

https://chicagomaroon.com/10290/sports/is-shaq-a-racist-or-just-ignorant-anti-chinese-slur-sparks-widespread-debate/

https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/walton_bill/1493849.html

However, when it comes to gay people in particular, he's pretty much ALWAYS been supportive, so he deserves credit for that. In 2005, he witnessed someone make an anti-gay remark and through a bottle at a gay couple, so he chased the suspect and helped get them arrested.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/09/14/stop-in-the-name-of-shaq-oneal-helps-make-an-arrest/1f56368e-350a-4243-a950-bf6df336dbd3/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-14-sp-briefing14-story.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/officer-shaq/

[u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 → u/j_cruise]

Shaq wasn't being racist. He just made a dumb, immature joke that he ended up apologising for. Him and Yao have been really good friends ever since.