Charles Barkley is receiving wide praise after speaking out against homophobia during an event at Harveys Lake Tahoe, a casino hotel on the Nevada border. Barkley took the mic at the event, standing next to a pianist on stage, and unapologetically expressed his thoughts to the crowd, which responded with applause.

“If you’re gay or transgender, I love you. And if anyone gives you any s**t, tell em Charles says f**k you!” the basketball legend said.

Social media users are hailing Barkley as a hero after his statement went viral.

Barkley has a history of showing support for LGBTQ+ people. The NBA Hall-Of-Famer appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2020 and spoke candidly about advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

Barkley specifically talked about standing up against North Carolina’s “bathroom bill,” which prohibited transgender people from using restrooms and other public facilities according to their gender identity. The former NBA forward, who now works as an analyst with TNT, said he told his boss at the network that he didn’t want to take part in the NBA All-Star game festivities if the event is being held in North Carolina.

“I hated the ‘bathroom bill,’ ” Barkley told DeGeneres. “So I went to my boss and said, ‘Hey boss, I’m gonna sit out of the All-Star Game. I don’t want to to take away from the All-Star Game, but I’m gonna sit out the All-Star Game.’”

Barkley also showed support for Jason Collins, the former NBA player who faced bigotry from some athletes and the public when he came out as gay.

“I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play,” Barkley said when he appeared on The Dan Patrick Show.

Charles BarkleyHomophobia