Charles Barkley slammed Galveston's 'dirty' water on national TV, but natives aren't having it
Looks like somebody forgot you don't mess with Texas.
GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Et tu, Charles Barkley?
We guess it's true what they say: real friends stab you in the front, especially when that friend used to play pro sports in Houston, not far from the city he appears to have beef with.
Galveston, less than an hour south from the Bayou City, found itself at the center of Barkley's ire as he commented on the New Orleans Pelicans 106-85 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
To be fair, the Pelicans had a terrible showing in what was a critical NBA playoff game as it gave the Thunder a 3-0 lead in the series. They would ultimately go on to get swept by OKC, so we're not arguing about the Pelicans' poor performance.
Why Galveston had to catch strays in the aftermath is the question.
"I'm disappointed in New Orleans. Where are they going, Chuck?" Shaquille O'Neal asked during "Inside the NBA" on TNT.
"Galveston. That dirty a** water. We're not even going to send them to Cancun. We're going to send them to Galveston with that dirty a** water, be washing up on the shore," Barkley's rant began. "People think they in the beach."
"We're not getting them no plane ticket to the beach. We're sending their a** to Galveston, Texas, right where that dirty water washed up on the beach. They can't even get in the water," he continued.
The loss sounds like the Pelicans' problem, but in the spirit of Southern hospitality, Galveston graciously responded to the bashing of its beaches.
"Win or lose, @PelicansNBA are always welcome in Galveston. We invite you to join our flock as we roll out the coastal red carpet for some much-deserved offseason R&R. #TinaKnowles & @MikeEvans13_, help us get more pelicans on Island Time? #CharlesBarkley is not invited," the city wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Galveston, or at least the people who run the city's social media accounts, recruited some star power in its city's defense.
Mike Evans is a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he's a Galveston native, graduating from Ball High School and returning to the city to hold community events annually.
Knowles, a businesswoman, designer and yes, Beyoncé's mom, was born in Galveston and didn't appreciate the dig.
"Chuck, we don't play about Galveston, Texas! You better watch it sucker! Our water might not be blue, but it is still the beach and we love it!" Knowles wrote on Instagram, adding that rapper Jay-Z, who is married to Beyoncé, asked her if she was going to let Barkley talk about her city like that.
Apparently, Barkley knows better.
He apologized the next day to Knowles, but only because he didn't want to get stung by the Beyoncé faithful - a legion of fans who go by the Beyhive.
"Miss Knowles, I don't want that smoke. I don't want the Beyhive and Jay after Chuck," he said, adding that he still didn't want to go to Galveston.
The water might not be blue all the time, but it's not like that's never happened.
We know the water's capable of producing cool hues, and we have the receipts to prove it.
Crystal clear, blue water splashed into the Gulf in 2018. It shimmered along the coastline in 2019 and 2020.
IT'S BACK! Clear blue water sparkles along Galveston Island beaches
It's true. Galveston typically has muddy waters.
As the city's website explains, "heavy rainfall washes soil into rivers. These rivers discharge large amounts of sediment into oceans, bays and gulfs, reducing water clarity and making the water darker."
We get blue water days when "local winds die down, enabling the sediment to fall out of the water column as the water motion calms down." These types of days are also more common in late summer or autumn.
SEE ALSO: Galveston beaches look like something out of a postcard
For someone who spent part of his career in the Lone Star State, you'd think Barkley would know better than to mess with Texas.
Barkley spent four seasons with the Rockets, arriving in 1996, and as our partners at the Houston Chronicle pointed out, the team would spend every training camp in Galveston. So Barkley definitely knew what he was doing.
Even if we can't expect him for a beach day at Galveston, we might catch him fishing for the fare Houston has to offer.
Barkley is apparently a fan of the food, saying that Houston's restaurants were one of his favorite parts of the city.
It's blue and back! Galveston Island boasts return of clear water
