Charles Barkley has revealed why he declined an invitation to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded wedding, explaining the decision during a candid interview that quickly drew attention online.
Barkley said one personal reason ultimately convinced him to pass on one of the year’s most high-profile celebrity events.
Barkley laid out his reasoning on the podcast “Unfiltered with Ricky Bo and Bill Colarulo,” according to TMZ. Host Bill Colarulo brought up the topic Tuesday after noticing Barkley’s name never surfaced among the reported guest list from the July 3 ceremony.
Charles Barkley Explains His Wedding Snub
GettyCharles Barkley says he declined an invitation to the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding.
“I did get an invite and I politely declined ’cause I thought it was gonna be a crap show,” Barkley said, according to TMZ.
Barkley said that his decision had nothing to do with the newlyweds themselves.
“I love Travis and Jason and I’ve only met Taylor one time. But yeah, I did get an invite but I said, ‘Hey, you know what, that’s just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf and I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff. But I appreciate the invitation, it was pretty special,'” Barkley said, according to TMZ.
Barkley said he skips weddings and funerals as a rule, according to the TMZ report. Formal occasions in general seem to rank low on Barkley’s list of priorities these days. Golf courses, dress code optional, remain the preferred hangout for the 63-year-old, who has made a career out of saying precisely what’s on his mind without worrying how it lands.
Barkley’s Journey From NBA Star to Retirement
Barkley built a Hall of Fame career as an undersized power forward whom nobody could keep off the glass. Listed at 6-foot-6 but closer to 6-foot-4 in reality, he still led the NBA in rebounding during the 1986-87 season, an anomaly for a player his size going against seven-footers. He’s one of only four players in league history to top 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists in a career, and he won NBA MVP honors in 1993 while dragging the Phoenix Suns to the Finals.
The Leeds, Alabama, native played 16 NBA seasons split between the Philadelphia 76ers, Suns and Houston Rockets before hanging it up in 2000 and landing in Springfield six years later.
Since then, Barkley has built a second act as one of basketball’s most quotable personalities, anchoring the desk on TNT’s (now ESPN’s) Inside the NBA for more than two decades as a font of unfiltered, off-the-cuff opinions.
Inside the Swift-Kelce Wedding
Swift and Kelce married in front of roughly 1,000 guests during a two-day celebration that closed down streets around Madison Square Garden, with actor Adam Sandler officiating the ceremony, according to NFL.com. A marquee outside the arena announced the marriage once the ceremony wrapped, and the guest list read like an awards show green room.
Jennifer Lopez, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw, Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello were among the boldface names spotted at the reception, according to TMZ. Barkley wasn’t among them, and by his own admission, he never wanted to be.
Charles Barkley Reveals Why He Refused Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Wedding Invite