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Following the loss of Jason Collins — the first openly gay NBA player who recently died at age 47 — Charles Barkley is claiming there are many other homosexual professional athletes.
“Thirteen years ago it was a big deal,” Kenny Smith said of Collins coming out as gay on the May 2013 cover of Sports Illustrated during the Tuesday, May 12, episode of NBA Tip-Off. “The reason why it doesn’t feel as big now at times is because of people like [Collins].”
“It would still be a big deal,” Barkley, 63, claimed. “We live in a homophobic society. Anybody who thinks we ain’t got a bunch of gay players in all sports, they’re just stupid.”
“There is such an animosity towards the gay community,” the former Houston Rockets player added.
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In December 2025, the former New Jersey Nets star revealed he was diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma. He tragically died at his home in Los Angeles on May 12, 2026.
Barkley — who played 16 years in the NBA before retiring in 2000 — previously defended the LGBTQ+ community after fans called for a boycott of Bud Light after the company partnered with influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“If you’re gay, God bless you. If you’re trans, God bless you. And if you have a problem with them — f— you,” Barkley said during a July 2023 American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, per Mediaite.
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This story Retired NBA Star Charles Barkley Claims ‘a Bunch’ of Professional Athletes Are Privately Gay first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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