Charles Barkley says Stephen A. Smith presidential run likely started as a joke: 'Knock it off'

NBA legend Charles Barkley said he would never vote for NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith, and Democrats are in danger of losing his vote forever if they run him.

"Calm down, Stephen A. — and Stephen A. is one of my friends," Barkley said on a recent episode of the Sports Illustrated podcast "SI Media with Jimmy Traina."

Smith has been openly flirting with the idea of politics since the 2024 election cycle, talking seriously about the candidates and speaking on divisive topics.

In November, he told the hosts of "The View" that he would consider running for president if he felt he had a "legitimate shot" to win.

"I'm half joking, but I kind of mean it," Smith said, per Sportsnaut. "I mean, I have no desire to be a congressional figure or a senator, but if you came to me and you told me I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America, I would definitely consider it."

It was that half joke that Barkley may have been referring to when he told the ESPN host he needed to "knock it off."

'I would not even consider voting for anybody else.'

"Come on, man. Stop it. Come on," Barkley continued. "It had to start out as a joke, and he started taking it serious. Come on, man. All I would say is, 'Knock it off.' And that's the best way to phrase it."

Host Jimmy Traina noted that the idea of running for president as a joke was long theorized about President Trump when he first decided to run in the 2016 federal election.

"The funny thing is that's what everyone says happened with Trump; he first started it as a joke because 'The Apprentice' was getting canceled. Now, you're saying Stephen A., like, you would think it's starting as like, 'Oh, let me get some attention for 'First Take,' I just got my big contract.' But now it's like he's on ABC Sunday morning saying, 'You know I got to run.'"

Barkley, forever game to talk about any issue, revealed that he would not consider voting for the Democratic Party unless it runs either Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania (D) or Governor Wes Moore of Maryland (D).

"I would not even consider voting for anybody else other than one of those two," Barkley said.

Interestingly, Barkley added that even though Trump cannot run again, the Hall of Fame player said he would not vote for Trump because he's "just not my cup of tea."

When Traina plainly asked if Barkley would vote for Smith, Barkley replied, "No. Hard No."

Smith recently signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with ESPN — a contract that would certainly cut into any 2028 presidential bid.

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