Charles Barkley Has Something to Say About Race in America

Charles Barkley calls it friendly fire.

When he talks about racial issues, it isn't only whites he risks angering. Some of the biggest complaints come from fellow blacks, who figure he's too rich, too successful to possibly understand their struggles.

"Like, those people say he's not black anymore, he shouldn't speak on black issues," Barkley said. "I'm like, 'Dude, I'm always going to be black,' but that's a double-edged sword I'm willing to deal with."

So not only will he keep talking, he wants to lead the conversation.

The basketball Hall of Famer and TNT analyst will debut "The Race Card" on the network in 2017, a show that won't just be about black and white, because Barkley believes America's problems are more about rich versus poor.

"I just want to do a positive dialogue because I'm sick of arguing over race all the time," Barkley said. "Like, I'm very aware that racism does exist, it always has and probably always will, but the media does a really poor job. There's more good than bad, but the bad pops off the newspaper and on television. And like I said, the truth is somewhere in the middle."