You know it’s going to be a fun broadcast when Charles Barkley gets roasted before the NBA Finals even begin. The NBA icon revealed that he wouldn’t be able to watch the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs, but moments later, the conversation flipped on him.

As an unexpected turn of events, mayors have become stars of the postseason. NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani took to the streets to celebrate the Knicks’ advancement to the Finals, and on Wednesday night, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones took the spotlight during Inside the NBA coverage. Before introducing the special guest, the crew aired a short compilation of Barkley’s decades-long feud with San Antonio. It especially focused on the 63-year-old’s running joke about the city’s women. Ernie Johnson jokingly apologized for the video, but he made sure that the mayor knew exactly what she was dealing with. Mayor Jones didn’t waste a second and landed her first punch.

“I learned a long time ago, you can’t teach courage, you can’t teach class, and Mr. Barkley reminds us of that,” she replied, leaving the rest of the panel floored.

Meanwhile, Chuck wasn’t letting it pass, and he immediately resorted to sarcasm.

“Mayor, I’m so glad to be back in your beautiful city,” he said. “I took my walk today, and everybody was fantastic. They know I’m just joking around.”

The rest of the panel was only looking to fuel the fire, trolling Barkley. Kenny instantly chimed in, saying, “You’re the only one on the walk.” Following, a picture appeared on the screen showing Chuck lifting a chair above his head, which Chuck claimed was exercise. 

“Mayor, that’s vandalism,” Shaq joked.

Charles Barkley had had enough, and he shifted gears, taking the attack to the San Antonio City. He criticized the famous Riverwalk, calling it a creek before bringing up the historical The Alamo.

“So, Mayor, can I ask you another question?” Chuck said. “The most famous place in y’all city is where everybody got killed. That’s the Alamo. You think that’s a tourist destination?”

The former baller targeted one of Texas’s famous heritage sites. The Alamo remains a symbol of Texas’ independence, resistance, and heroics, with close to 400-600 people dying. And, most importantly, it attracts millions of tourists each year.

Mayor Jones didn’t let that comment pass without giving a piece of her mind. She reminded the viewers of the city’s military roots.  

“It is, in fact, the number one tourist destination in the entire state. You know what, you know what else will bring people here? So San Antonio is a military city, USA. Yes. As an Air Force veteran, Iraq war veteran, I am very proud to say that every airman, every guardian comes through Lackland Air Force Base. So we, we are so proud of our city.”

Following that, she dropped her final blow.

“You know what, we even welcome you.”

Charles Barkley vs San Antonio: The infamous joke

Wednesday night wasn’t the first time Charles Barkley triggered a San Antonio woman. As mentioned before, he has a running joke about the city’s women that’s absolutely derogatory.

In the early 2010s, Chuck repeatedly referred to the city’s ladies as “big ol’ women” during NBA broadcasts. The joke regularly sends Shaq into laughter.

Chuck refused to stop it despite the backlash.

It escalated to the point that he was asked to apologize on TV in 2014. He refused.

“If you don’t like me or the show, turn it off,” Barkley said. “If you’re all waiting for me to apologize, it’s gonna be a long wait.”

In the same year, Tim Duncan’s girlfriend stood against the big man, wearing a T-shirt that read, “Barkley doesn’t know.”

Three years later, he eventually had to give in and made a half-hearted apology.

“I want to apologize to the women of San Antonio,” and quickly added, “I had churros last night. I see what all the excitement is about.”

Notably, he also tied churros to his derogatory comment. Mayor Jones didn’t forget that either. She brought along a pack of churros with her and gave it to Chuck, saying:

“Chuck has a lot of thoughts about the churros. We know he is on a diet. We know he is really not on a diet. Here are the churros. Chucky churros.”

For now, Jones may have won the latest round. But with several games left in the Finals series, Chuck might find ways to hit back.