If you’ve watched a single episode of Inside the NBA over the last fifteen years, you already know the drill. Ernie Johnson tries to keep things on track. Kenny Smith tries to analyze a pick-and-roll. Shaquille O’Neal starts giggling for no apparent reason. And then, Charles Barkley—the "Round Mound of Rebound" himself—drops the hammer on San Antonio.
It usually starts with the churros. Or the "dirty creek" he calls the River Walk. But mostly, it’s about the "big ol' women" he claims populate the 210.
Honestly, the Charles Barkley San Antonio saga has become more than just a running gag; it’s a piece of sports television history that honestly shouldn't have survived the modern era. Any other broadcaster saying these things would have been hauled into HR before the commercial break. But Chuck? He just doubles down. Even as recently as April 2025, during the Final Four in San Antonio, he was back at it, proving that some feuds never actually die.
The Churro-Fueled Origin Story
How did this even start? Most people think it was just a random jab that stuck. In reality, it was a slow burn. Barkley spent years losing games in San Antonio—he won only 4 out of 19 games there during his career. That kind of frustration breeds a special type of pettiness.
Back in 2014, the jokes went nuclear. During the Western Conference Finals, Barkley famously called San Antonio a "gold mine for Weight Watchers." He didn’t stop there. He claimed Victoria’s Secret was a "secret" in town because nobody could fit into the clothes.
The city didn’t just sit back. They were heated.
Local news stations ran segments defending the honor of San Antonio women. Tim Duncan’s then-girlfriend, Vanessa Macias, showed up to a game wearing a "Barkley Don't Know" shirt. Chuck’s response? He claimed they "flew her in from Dallas" because there weren't any women that fit like that in San Antonio. It was ruthless. It was classic Chuck.
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That "Dirty Little Creek"
It isn't just the people; it's the geography. If you ask Charles Barkley about the River Walk, he’s going to look you in the eye and call it a "dirty little creek."
"Y'all call it the River Walk, I call it a creek. I’m from the South. We know what a river looks like."
He even took a shot at the Alamo. On The Stephen A. Smith Show, he joked that the city’s number one tourist attraction is "a place where everybody got killed." It’s that specific brand of Barkley logic where he says the thing you aren't supposed to say, mainly because he knows it’ll get a rise out of the fans.
The 2017 "Apology" and the Great Churro Revelation
For a second there, we thought he was going soft. In May 2017, Barkley actually stood in front of the cameras and said he wanted to apologize to the women of San Antonio.
The reason? He finally tried a churro.
"I see what all the excitement is about," he admitted while stuffing his face on air. He called them "the bomb." But in true Barkley fashion, the apology was backhanded. He basically said he finally understood why everyone was so big—because the food was too good to pass up.
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It was a "sorry, not sorry" for the ages.
Why the Charles Barkley San Antonio Feud Still Matters in 2026
You’d think by now, especially in 2026, this would be old news. But it’s not.
With Victor Wembanyama turning the Spurs into a must-watch team again, the national media is back in San Antonio constantly. That means Chuck is back in San Antonio. And he hasn't changed. During the 2025 NCAA tournament, he actually caught some heat for using even harsher language on stage at a fan fest, later admitting on a podcast with Jimmy Traina that he "fumbled" that one and should have stuck to his usual script.
It’s a weird relationship.
- The Fans Love to Hate Him: When he shows up at the Frost Bank Center (formerly the AT&T Center), he gets booed. Then he smiles, and they cheer. It’s a pantomime.
- The Shaq Factor: Half the reason this keeps going is Shaq. If Shaq didn't lose his mind laughing every time Chuck mimed eating a churro, the joke might have died in 2016.
- The "Cancel Culture" Shield: Barkley has been vocal about how he hates how sensitive everyone has become. He views his San Antonio bits as a stand for old-school humor. To him, if you can't joke about churros and weight, the world has gone soft.
What people get wrong about the "Hate"
Does Charles Barkley actually hate San Antonio? No.
He’s gone on record dozens of times calling it a "great city" and praising Gregg Popovich. He’s a regular at the local restaurants (obviously). The "feud" is a performance. It's a way to engage with a fan base that is famously defensive and incredibly proud.
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In a world where sports commentary has become increasingly sterilized and corporate, the Charles Barkley San Antonio routine is a relic. It’s messy, it’s arguably offensive, and it’s definitely repetitive. But it’s also authentic. When Chuck talks about the "big ol' women," he isn't reading a teleprompter. He’s just being the guy who got in trouble for throwing a person through a bar window in the 90s.
How to Handle the Barkley "Slander"
If you’re a San Antonian, you’ve basically got two choices when Chuck starts talking. You can get offended and write a letter to TNT, or you can do what most locals have learned to do: lean into it.
- Eat the churro. They really are good.
- Keep the receipts. Remind him he never won a ring while the Spurs have five.
- Watch the show. At the end of the day, Barkley’s job is to make you turn on the TV. If you’re mad enough to tweet about him, he’s already won.
The reality is that as long as there are churros in Texas and as long as Barkley has a microphone, the city of San Antonio is going to be his favorite target. It’s a tradition as fixed as the Spurs' defensive rotations or the muddy water of the River Walk.
The best way to engage with the Charles Barkley San Antonio saga is to recognize it for what it is: a long-running comedy bit between a Hall of Famer and a city that secretly loves the attention. Next time he starts up, just grab a snack and wait for Shaq to start wheezing. That's where the real entertainment is anyway.
If you want to see the "highlights" for yourself, your best bet is to look up the 2014 Western Conference Finals clips on YouTube—that’s widely considered the "Peak Churro" era. Just don't expect an actual apology anytime soon. As Chuck famously said, "Hell will freeze over first."