Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and Charles Barkley — the basketball great known dragging San Antonio every chance he gets — exchanged verbal fireworks on national TV before tipoff for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
During a brief Wednesday night appearance during ABC coverage from the Frost Bank Center, Barkley and fellow hosts Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal began giggling as they introduced Jones as mayor of San Antonio. The joke here is that Barkley has spent years dealing out disses to the Alamo City, many of them about its residents’ waistlines and ravenous appetite for churros.
“I learned a long time ago, you can’t teach courage, you can’t teach class, and Mr. Barkley reminds us of that,” Jones quipped within the first few seconds of the segment.
“Mayor, I am so glad to be back in your beautiful city,” Barkley responded. “I took my walk today, and everybody was fantastic. They know I’m just joking around.”
But the longtime hoops commentator and provocateur just couldn’t resist getting in a jab: “I was down on the River Walk — I’m sorry, the Creek Walk. Mayor, you know that’s a creek, not a river.”
Jones, who wore vintage Fiesta-themed San Antonio Spurs jacket, wasted no time with a comeback.
“We are so proud of our city, we even welcome you,” she said, pointing at Barkley.
Staying on theme, Jones offered Sir Charles a box of churros. Even though he’s clearly dropped pounds, he couldn’t resist sinking his teeth into one.
The San Antonio Spurs went on to lose the game to the New York Knicks, 105-95. Although the Spurs brought early firepower, the Knicks managed to close a 14-point deficit in the second half. Lackluster shooting from De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanayama, who nailed down 23% and 28% respectively from field-goal range, didn’t help.
The Spurs will get another chance to beat the Knicks during Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Frost Bank Center. That contest will air on ESPN and be available to stream on Hulu and YouTube TV.
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