PBA legend Ricardo Brown blasts Charles Barkley for joke on Philippine basketball

MANILA, Philippines -- PBA hall of famer Ricardo Brown did not mince words on the comment made by NBA legend Charles Barkley on Filipinos in the NBA.

Earlier this week, NBA insider for TNT Chris Haynes shared in a pregame report that he was the most valuable player of a Filipino league he joined.

"I'm not Filipino, but I'm a guest," Haynes said.

Barkley then made a joke regarding Filipino basketball players.

"No disrespect, I know I'm gonna get in trouble for asking this question, but how many Filipinos have been drafted into the NBA? I'm just asking a question, man," the former NBA MVP said on the broadcast.

The joke was met with laughter, with Shaquille O'Neal saying Haynes' Filipino name is "Manny Black-uiao," a wordplay to Manny Pacquiao.

On Friday, Brown called Barkley's comment "disrespectful."

"Maybe it’s true, but it is also so disrespectful from a huge voice in the Woke-Ass NBA!" he posted on Facebook.

Brown was drafted into the NBA in the third round of the 1979 draft, but he did not sign a contract with the Houston Rockets.

Some Filipino netizens also clapped back on Barkley's remarks, saying the amount of Filipinos in the NBA are the same number of his championships.

Some even challenged "The Round Mound of Rebound" to a one-on-one match.

Others, though, were more understanding, saying it was a joke and that Barkley was "just brutally honest."

While there are no pure Filipino players who have been drafted into the NBA, three Filipino-Americans have been drafted -- Raymond Townsend, Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Green.

Several Filipino players also aimed for the NBA in Kai Sotto, Kiefer Ravena, Ray Parks and Japeth Aguilar.