This is just another one of those Chuck quirks that will annoy Ernie Johnson, right after cursing on air and the water defamation. Apparently, Charles Barkley’s strong dislike for dressing up for formal occasions caused him to skip the wedding of the decade! The star-studded wedding of NFL superstar Travis Kelce and pop icon Taylor Swift completely took over New York City last weekend. But Sir Charles couldn’t be bothered to make the trip.

During an offseason appearance on Unfiltered, Ricky Bottalico asked Chuck if he got invited to “the royal wedding at Madison Square Garden.” He immediately responded, “I did.” However, true to his unfiltered nature, Barkley declined the opportunity outright, citing strict personal boundaries.

“I don’t go to weddings, that’s one,” Barkley said. “I don’t go to weddings or funerals. But I did get an invite. I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a crap show. I love Travis and Jason, and I’ve only met Taylor one time, but yeah, I did get an invite. I said, ‘Hey, you know what? That’s just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf, and I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff.'”

Bottalico, like us, was also flustered by Chuck’s policy, but he respected the 63-year-old’s decision. Although he refused to make the trip to New York, Barkley made sure to emphasize that there was no lingering animosity between him and the newlywed couple.

“I appreciate the invitation,” Barkley added at the conclusion of the segment. “It was pretty special. A lot of respect.”

The NBA legend has a close friendship with Jason Kelce, as a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan, and regularly plays golf with the Kelce brothers. He met Swift once at the Super Bowl, but has often shown his Swiftie cred on air. Back in 2024, Chuck even defended the Grammy winner against some nasty NFL fans.

“If you’re screaming at Taylor Swift, saying she ruined [the NFL], you’re just a loser,” Barkley said on CNN. “You’re just a loser or a jackass. You can be A or B, one of the two.”

Barkley’s defense came just months after Swift and Kelce made their relationship public. The pop star had been gradually starting to attend Kansas City Chiefs games, which some fans didn’t like. So, years later, it was no surprise that Travis invited his old golf buddy, someone who had stood up for him.

However, Barkley’s prediction of an overwhelming “crap show” wasn’t meant to be negative. The 76ers legend has harbored his own animosity toward New York City for reasons beyond Patrick Ewing sweeping Philadelphia in the 1989 playoffs. Both Shaquille O’Neal and Barkley have previously shared their feelings about the crowded, cramped conditions in The Big Apple.

Given the massive scale of the wedding at the iconic arena that hosted the NBA Finals just a month ago, where Swift has performed several times, Barkley worried about the logistical nightmare he didn’t want to be part of.

On Friday night, July 3, 2026, as the Knicks were making blockbuster signings to fill the void left by Mitchell Robinson, the area around Madison Square Garden was completely closed to the public. Unlike the ‘frozen zone’ when President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the Finals, this time the arena hosted an estimated 1,000 close friends and family members of the happy couple.

But the names that weren’t there made headlines. Along with Chuck, James Taylor, Ryan Seacrest, Robert Pattinson, and Mark Hamill are among those who confirmed they were invited but didn’t make it.

If Chuck made it, he’d have company among the who’s who of sportscasting, including, but not limited to, his ‘man crush’ Tom Brady, as well as Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson, Michael Strahan, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and Dean Blandino. ESPN’s Joe Buck, Rich Eisen, Pat McAfee, and Stephen A. Smith were invited, but their attendance hasn’t been confirmed.

The wedding guest list also featured a variety of Hollywood stars, including Brad Pitt, Emma Stone, Mariska Hargitay, and Tom Hanks, along with music artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Miranda Lambert.

“Everywhere you looked, there were stars, one more famous than the next, but it wasn’t like a typical Hollywood party,” a friend of the couple told PEOPLE. “Everyone was so down to earth.”

The arena’s seating was draped with white chair covers, and ferns and trees were brought in to create a “forest” feel. Celebrity event designer Edward Perotti called the design a “herculean effort” and estimated the cost of renting the venue at $1 million a day, with the total wedding price tag somewhere around $35 million to $50 million.

Despite attracting a large crowd of close friends, Swift and Kelce made it a point to “talk to everyone they could,” the friend said.

“All of us close to her know how long she’s wanted her happily ever after, and Travis is absolutely her Prince Charming,” the friend concluded. “It was just the perfect celebration for their fairy-tale love story.”

On the other hand, Barkley spent his holiday weekend exactly where he preferred, far away from the cameras, preparing to best his record for the American Century Championship. And leaving a reminder for his close friends: if you’re getting married or dying, don’t invite him.