Former NBA legend and current analyst Charles Barkley has stepped forward to defend Wayne Gretzky from some recent criticism.

Gretzky has been feeling the heat from some Canadians as of late following his support of his friend and U.S. president Donald Trump. That criticism escalated to an entirely new level at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where some felt the 64-year-old slighted the Canadians before their final game versus the U.S.

While Canadians have mixed feelings over the matter, Gretzky is well aware of the criticism he's facing, with his wife, Janet, recently mentioning that he is heartbroken over the matter.

Many have stepped up to defend Gretzky as of late, with the most recent being Barkley. The NBA Hall-of-Famer had major praise for 'The Great One,' when speaking on Inside the NBA on TNT Thursday evening.

"You've got them fools up in Canada giving The Great One a hard time. … Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player ever, he's the nicest person," Barkley said. "Them fools up in Canada gave him a hard time because the tariff with Trump and everything. He has nothing to do with that. He played hockey, he's the greatest hockey player ever. He's got no control of what these fools do down here in our government."

"Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player ever. He's the nicest person. Them fools up in Canada give him a hard time because of the tariff with Trump and everything...he got no control over what these fools do down here in our government."

Charles Barkley on Wayne Gretzky. pic.twitter.com/iiC42DlGQm

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025

These comments from Barkley came just days after he voiced his displeasure towards the Philadelphia Eagles for choosing not to go to the White House to meet with Trump following their Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I don't care who the president is. He's the President of the United States," Barkley said. "It's bothered me, the last 10 years, they're like, 'Well, I'm not going because this certain person is President.' Dude, it's the President of the United States."

Barkley has had voiced similar displeasure in the other direction in the past, once even referring to Trump supporters as, 'Nutty.' What is clear, however, is that he doesn't think politics and sports should be intertwined.