Former NBA star Charles Barkley has long been rumored as a candidate for governor of his native Alabama… by Charles Barkley.

The loquacious one discusses this again in the new issue of Playboy, and says that when he does decide to mount his campaign, he will not be requesting the services of Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.

“I don’t believe in them. They always play the race card. You can’t always play the race card,” he said. “Sometimes the race card is needed but not in every situation. We have to hold blacks more accountable for their actions.”

Bill Clinton had no comment.

In September 2007, the Round Mound of Rebound announced that he bought a house in Alabama to satisfy requirements for a 2014 run. The Yellowhammer State requires seven years of legal residence.

Charles Barkley spoke for many years of a Republican Party affiliation, but in 2006, he declared himself an independent, stating:

“I was a Republican until they lost their minds. The word ‘conservative’ means ‘discriminatory,’ practically. It’s a form of political discrimination. What do the Republicans even run on? Against gay marriage and for a war that makes no sense. A war that was based on faulty intelligence. That’s all they ever talk about. That and immigration. Another discriminatory argument for political gain.”

Hard to argue with that if you ask us.

On Super Tuesday, Alabama Democrats chose Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton by a 14-percent margin, while Mike Huckabee won the GOP primary with 41 percent in a tight race with John McCain and Mitt Romney.