Not surprisingly, Barkley is a bit of a contrarian in regards to the protest movement in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Barkley sees the widespread awakening as an opportunity for change and progress, but only if the new power is used wisely. “Hey, the thing is, I’m trying to tell the brothers that we need allies, we’re not trying to alienate people. There’s a fine line. I’m trying to teach them the difference. You know, everybody’s trying to take so much right now, we want every statue torn down, we want every name changed. I’m like, ‘Guys, calm the f— down.’ … Listen, we got a great opportunity, but if you keep slappin’ somebody hard, at some point they gonna turn around and slap you back.”