The female reporter who was threatened by NBA legend Charles Barkley over his pick of the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls said she’s now being targeted by “countless men” online.
Axios reporter Alexi McCammond posted a screenshot early Thursday of one hate-filled message from a man who called her an “ape n—er” and accused her of being “more racist than anyone in existence” after she posted a series of tweets accusing Barkley, 56, of threatening to hit her late Tuesday at an unspecified event.
“In the past 24 hours I’ve been called a n**ger too many times to count; I’ve been told to go kill myself; told that I should die because everyone hates me; and threatened by countless men who say they’d love to hit me,” McCammond tweeted. “If you think this is warranted, you’re part of the problem.”
The Washington-based reporter, who is covering the 2020 presidential campaign, did not immediately return a request early Thursday for additional comment.
McCammond wrote on Twitter late Tuesday that Barkley told her, “I don’t hit women, but If I did I would hit you,” before accusing her of not being able to take a joke when she objected to his remarks.
Barkley’s comments followed an exchange during which the NBA Hall of Famer said he supported former two-term Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in his late run for the White House before abruptly changing his mind once approached by a member of Pete Buttigieg’s campaign, McCammond said.
Barkley’s statement needed to be exposed, McCammond said. The basketball analyst for TNT later apologized, saying it was an “attempted joke that wasn’t funny at all” in a statement released by Turner Sports.
“There’s no excuse for it and I apologize,” Barkley said in the statement.
The outspoken Barkley – who was criticized in 1990 for making light of beating his wife and kids after a near-loss while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers – will appear on Thursday night’s “Inside the NBA” broadcast as usual, sources told The Post.