Washington (CNN) Retired NBA superstar Charles Barkley had harsh words for Mike Pence on Thursday after the vice president accused the league of acting as a "wholly owned subsidiary" of China.

The controversy has led to accusations that the NBA is prioritizing business interests over American values, but Barkley pointed out that the US and others do business in China regardless.

"Vice President Pence needs to shut the hell up," Barkley said on "Inside the NBA" on TNT, which is a part of WarnerMedia, along with CNN. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was on the panel as well.

"I don't understand why these holier-than-thou politicians, if they're so worried about China, why don't they stop all transactions with China?" he continued, adding, "I think it's unfair for them to do all their business in China, and just because this thing happened, try to make the NBA and our players look bad. All American companies do business in China. Period."

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