Story highlights "His idea of being a conservative is being inclusive," Barkley said.

Barkley also said he normally votes Democratic but is considering switching parties

Washington (CNN) Charles Barkley is leaning toward supporting John Kasich in the 2016 presidential race, the NBA hall-of-famer told CNN's Michael Smerconish Saturday morning.

"Just looking and listening to him on television and reading a couple of articles about him, he's the one who has my attention right now," Barkley said. "He's the front-runner for me."

The former Philadelphia 76er added that he appreciated Kasich discussing racial inclusivity in a recent interview with CNN's Dana Bash.

"He talked about young black kids and giving them an opportunity. His idea of being a conservative is being inclusive," he said. "Most of the quote-unquote conservatives have attack and blame. It's already somebody else's fault why people aren't doing better."

Barkley, who said he normally votes Democratic but is considering switching parties, said he is not inspired by any of the Democrats who are running.

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