Charles Barkley is taking heat for his Breonna Taylor comments

“I feel sad that this young lady lost her life,” said Barkley, a basketball Hall of Famer. “But I am worried to lump all these situations in together.”

Earlier this week one officer involved in the incident leading to Taylor’s death was indicted on three charges of first-degree wanton endangerment for allegedly firing blindly into an apartment. Two of the officers who shot at Taylor, one of whom was shot and wounded, were not indicted in the case as the Kentucky Attorney General said the men were justified in shooting out of self-defense because Taylor’s boyfriend had fired first. As such, no charges were directly connected to Taylor’s death.

“We do have to take into account that her boyfriend shot at the cops and shot a cop,” said Barkley, as Black Lives Matter protests continue nationwide following the outcome in Kentucky.

Shaquille O’Neal, Barkley’s TNT colleague and a fellow NBA Hall of Famer, concurred.

“I have to agree with Charles, this one is sort of lumped in,” said O’Neal during the broadcast. “Everyone was asking for murder charges. When you talk about murder, you have to show intent. A homicide occurred and we’re sorry a homicide occurred. When you have a warrant signed by the judge, you are doing your job, and I would imagine that you would fire back.”

Barkley and O’Neal’s takes differ vastly from others in the NBA community and prompted criticism on social media.

In a video on TikTok, former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was close friends with George Floyd, said Barkley was insensitive and heartless.

Lakers superstar LeBron James has been consistent in his outrage and calls for justice, a stance he reiterated publicly following his team’s win Thursday.

“We want justice, no matter how long it takes,” James said during his post-game interview on TNT.

“We’re here playing this game and it’s very challenging on us, it’s very difficult, but at the same time, our hearts [are] with that family… we hope for better days and to spread love and not hate,” James added.

Barkley and O’Neal, along with colleagues Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, are next scheduled to be on the air on Saturday, as The NBA on TNT continues at 8 p.m. ET ahead of Game 5 between James’ Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets.