After a recent interview on ESPN, Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley received heavy criticism for chiding those in the black community who blame everything on police brutality and never take responsibility for the problems they cause.

In the July 12 interview, Barkley said:

"The cops have made some mistakes, but that doesn’t give us the right to riot and shoot cops. We need the cops, especially in the black community. We as black people, we’ve got to do better. We never get mad when black people kill each other, which that has always bothered me… I’ve always said if we as black people want more respect, we have to give each other respect. You can’t demand respect from white people and the cops if you don’t respect each other. We’ve got to do better as black people."

He went on to suggest a bit of self-reflection for these loud voices complaining about racism everywhere: "Are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution?"

Some were offended by Barkley's statements, saying he comes from a place of "privilege" and doesn't understand the real black community. On Tuesday, the NBA legend said he heard those complaints but isn't backing down:

"As I’ve said before, and some people criticized me. I told them to kiss my ass because I can. We in the black community, we need the cops. Cops are important. They’re very significant. We as black people gotta do a better job of policing ourselves. The cops have made some mistakes — I think everybody has to admit that. But we just can’t as black people, every time something goes wrong, say it’s the cops’ fault. We have done some damage to our own neighborhood, and we’ve got to do better in that aspect.

"But we need the cops. They are important. If it weren’t for the cops, we’d be living in the Wild Wild West. But it’s not as simple as that it’s always the cops’ fault. We as black people have made some mistakes, we’ve got to do a better job of policing ourselves.

“There’s no right or wrong answer. That’s the one thing about being black, black people only like you when you say what they want you to say. But I’ve been in that game for a long time, so that doesn’t faze me. I’m a big boy. I can handle the heat."

Barkley also praised fellow NBA star Michael Jordan for donating $2 million to help police and the black community, saying, "“Number one, I appreciate anybody who has given a couple million dollars to charity. We’re blessed. God bless him for that."

Previously, Barkley sided with the Ferguson grand jury who ruled that Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown in self-defense.