You know there's something wrong in Arizona when people who dribble a ball for a living demonstrate a better understanding of the law there than the people who came up with the law in the first place.
As you may know, the Phoenix Suns wore their "Los Suns" jerseys Wednesday during Game 2 of their playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs--who also tried to wear "Los Spurs" jerseys but could not get them in time--to not only celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but to protest Arizona's anti-immigration law SB 1070 and show solidarity for Latinos in their community. Before the game, Steve Nash, who is Canadian, spoke out against the law on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption:
I'm against it. I think this is a bill that really damages our civil liberties, I think it opens up potential for racial profiling and racism. I think that it's a bad precedent to set for young people. I think it represents our state poorly in the eyes of the nation and the world.
BANG. That's like a classic late-in-the-game Steve Nash shot from behind the arc that swishes through the net without ever touching the rim. Right on the money.
Then the whole TNT crew--Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Chris Webber--weighed in on the issue during their pre-game show. Barkley, who was a registered Republican until 2006 and who's flirted with running for governor in his home state of Alabama, had this to say about AZ Governor Jan Brewer and other politicians in the state where Barkley spent a lot of his playing career:
The only people screwing it up are the politicians...The governor, the interim governor I might add. JD Hayworth and John McCain. They're the ones screwing this thing up. I have to really take my hat off to Robert Sarver and his sons for taking a stand. Living in Arizona for a long time, the Hispanic community are like the fabric of the cloth. They're part of our community and anytime you try to do any type of racial profiling or racial discrimination, this is a federal, Obama..we've got to do something because these little lightweight politicians in AZ don't know what they're doing.
Watch here:
BOOM. Maybe not quite as neat as Steve Nash's tre, but much like the way Barkley used to snatch up those rebounds. Hustling into the paint and bangin' bodies.
Viva Los Suns!
Charles Barkley for Governor! Of Alabama! Or Arizona!
Because, hell, they're both fucked.