Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20 1963) is an
American former basketball power forward in the American National Basketball Association (NBA). A current resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, Barkley is commonly nicknamed Sir Charles and occasionally The Round
Mound of Rebound. Barkley was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA in 1993, and in 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Barkley won the Olympic gold medal with the U.S.
Dream Teams in the 1992 and 1996 Games. Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Barkley is best remembered for his tenacity and ruggedness for rebounds, despite
his relative lack of height for his natural position of power forward. In
addition to being one of the best rebounders of all time, he was also a prolific scorer and a consummate team player.
Career
Early life and college career
Born in Leeds, Alabama, Barkley played college
basketball for Auburn University for three years. He excelled as a player and
lead the league in rebounding each year. During his college career, he mainly played center, despite being significantly shorter than normal for a player who plays this position. He is
frequently listed as 6 ft 6 in, but is actually, as stated in his book, "I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt
It," closer to 6 ft 4½ in. He was twice named Second Team All-SEC (1982-83) and All-SEC (1983-84), once named Third Team
All American and SEC Player of the Year (1984).
In Barkley's three year college career, he averaged 13.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 bpg, and 62.6% shooting from the field
[1]. In 1984, he made his only appearance in the NCAA Tournament, finishing
with 23 points, 4 assists, 17 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 80% shooting from the field [2].
Philadelphia 76ers
In 1984, he left Auburn a year early to begin playing in the NBA with
the Philadelphia 76ers. He was drafted with the fifth pick in the first round. Early
in his career, Barkley had a weight problem, sometimes weighing over 136 kg (300 pounds) at Auburn. His nickname "The Round Mound
of Rebound" dates back to his Auburn days. He battled those problems and through the tutelage of Moses Malone learned how to prepare himself for the game and get in better playing shape. In Barkley's
second year he emerged averaging 20.0 ppg and 12.8 rpg and becoming the starter at power forward for the entire season.
Unfortunately the team was getting older and after winning 58 and 54 games in his first 2 years they would not fare as well in
the coming seasons. Aging players such as Moses Malone and Julius Erving were either traded away or retired. Later Barkley teamed with power forward/center
Rick Mahorn, the two coined the nickname "Thump and Bump." The Sixers made a resurgence
making the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 1990 and 1991 only to be eliminated by the Chicago
Bulls both years. The team reached the playoffs with Barkley every year except for 1988 and 1992. While with the Sixers,
Barkley was a force underneath the glass, and his aggressiveness often got him into fights with players such as Bill Laimbeer, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal, and Charles Oakley.
During the 1991-1992 season, his last in Philadelphia, Barkley wore number 32
instead of 34 in honor of Magic Johnson, who had announced prior to the start of the
season that he was HIV-positive. The 76ers had retired the number 32 in honor of Billy Cunningham, who un-retired it for Barkley to wear. Following Johnson's announcement, Barkley also
rebuked himself for having made fun of people for having HIV. Responding to concerns that players may contract HIV by contact
with Johnson, Barkley commented flippantly: "We're just playing basketball. It's not like we're going out to have unprotected
sex with Magic."
After the 1991-92 season, fed up with what he felt was management's unwillingness to do what it took to win, Barkley demanded
a trade. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Jeff
Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang.
In between being drafted and traded, Barkley became a household name, and he was one of a few NBA players to have a figure
published by Kenner's Starting Lineup toy line and also
have his own signature shoe line by Nike. But he also became involved in a few scandals,
notoriously a fight with Detroit Pistons center Bill
Laimbeer in 1990. He averaged 24.3 points per game while with the 76ers.
Phoenix Suns
After joining Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and
Michael Jordan for the 1992 U.S. Dream Team that won the gold
medal at the Barcelona Olympics, Barkley joined the Phoenix Suns, where he joined Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle. Barkley became the centerpiece of the Suns and led the team to a league-best regular season
record and a trip to the 1993 NBA Finals, scoring 25 points per game and becoming one of the most popular players ever among Suns
fans. After the season he was named NBA MVP. At the Finals, Barkley and the Suns lost to Michael
Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago
Bulls in six games, after Barkley had told Jordan that it was destiny for the Suns to win the championship. Barkley
would never again return to the Finals.
In 1994, Barkley again was part of a Suns team that many expected to win the NBA Championship but despite holding a 2-0 lead
early in the series they lost the Western semi-finals in seven games to the eventual champion Houston Rockets. In 1995, the Suns suffered exactly the same fate in the playoffs as the year before,
losing again in seven games to the eventual champion Rockets. This time they lost despite having a 3-1 lead in the series. In
1996, Barkley and the Suns struggled to a 41-41 record and lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 3 games to 1, in the playoffs. After
the season Barkley was a member of the gold medal winning American team at the 1996 Summer
Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
Houston Rockets
Barkley was then traded to the Houston Rockets, where he joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, in their quest to win
championships. However, Olajuwon had already won two (1994, 1995), Drexler one in 1995, leading some people to believe that
Barkley was the only one who was really trying.
His first season (1996-97) was their most successful during this period. The Rockets started the season an impressive 21-2 and
made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Utah Jazz in 6
games. After this however the Rockets would stumble and not make it past the first round of the playoffs for the remainder of
Barkley's time in Houston. His last year in the NBA, he averaged 14 points a game over 19 games before tearing his left
quadriceps tendon completely away from his kneecap
during a game on December 8, 1999 in Philadelphia, where
Barkley started his career. He was told by doctors that he would never play again in the NBA, but was able to come back a little
over four months later, for exactly one game, in front of Houston's home fans on April 19,
2000 against the Vancouver Grizzlies. Barkley scored a
basket on an offensive rebound and putback, a trademark of his career. Barkley retired
immediately after that game.
During his career in the NBA, Barkey totalled 23,757 points for an average of 22.1 points per game, and 12,546 rebounds, for
an average of 11.7 rebounds per game. He was an All-Star
eleven times.
Barkley ranked #19 in SLAM magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in
2003.
Player profile
Barkley came to league as a great rebounder, despite his lack of height. He
compensated by being extremely tenacious for rebounds, having great jumping ability, quickness and strength, and a knack for
knowing where the ball would bounce. In his career, Barkley developed into an offensive force, using his strength to overpower
smaller defenders and quickness against taller defenders. He scored many points from offensive rebounds, making putbacks and tip-ins. Barkley also possessed all-around
skills such as ball-handling and passing usually associated for a guard. While Barkley often made crucial defensive plays such as
a last-minute steal or block, he was often criticized for being a below average defender. He was also criticized for attempting
too many 3-pointers at a below-par percentage.
Barkley had an effective low-post game, where he would slowly back his opponent towards the basket using his strength, then
either score from close range or pass to an open teammate if double teamed. He was one of
the proponents of this slow playing style, which enticed the NBA to create a rule called the 5-second
violation. This rule is sometimes unofficially called "the Charles Barkley rule".
Sir Charles Barkley aside from the game has a great sense of humour.
Media appearances
Barkley went one-on-one with Godzilla in the Nike
commercial (and a tie-in comic published by Dark Horse Comics).
He appeared in several fast food commercials starring Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Bird and Jordan would play an outrageous game of horse, performing impossible shots. Barkley would appear at the end of the commercial begging
the other two to let him play. They would walk away, eating the fast food, while Barkley would follow behind, whining.
He appeared alongside Michael Jordan in the hit movie Space Jam. He also had a tiny
cameo in the movie Hot Shots! and Look
Who's Talking Now.
He hosted the season premiere of the long-running NBC late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live" on September 25, 1993, with musical guest Nirvana. (Barkley and Nirvana's lead singer, Kurt Cobain, share the
same birthday). During his SNL performance, Barkley participated in a parody of his earlier Godzilla commercial. In the skit, he
faced off against children's show celebrity Barney the Purple Dinosaur in a matchup
humorously billed as "Barkley vs Barney".
He appeared in Accolade's Barkley
Shut Up and Jam!, a 2-on-2 basketball game for the Sega Genesis and
SNES that takes place in the streets and in the basketball
arena.
A comic book, written by Alan Dean Foster, entitled "Charles Barkley and the Referee
Murders" was published when Charles played for the Phoenix Suns. Charles dons a trench coat in the comic book to solve the case
in a story that is patterned after classic film noir.
Recently, he made a cameo in the final episode of Chappelle's Show. The
sketch made light of the awkwardness of having sex with the television on. Barkley appeared in a thought sequence of comedian
Dave Chappelle, who was embracing a female doll in a sexual position.
Charles Barkley now works as an analyst in TNT's studio coverage of NBA
games.
Role model question
In 1993, Barkley was featured in a controversial Nike television commercial, which centered on him saying the phrase, "I am
not a role model". This sparked great public debate about the nature of role models and who should and should not be a role
model. Barkley later said that he was glad that he could help bring this topic to a public forum. Thirteen years later, on
May 23, 2006, ESPN Classic
aired The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... episode on
Charles Barkley for saying he was not a role model.
Their list was:
5) Dan Quayle had recently made his controversial statements about televised "role models"
after television character Murphy Brown had become a single mother. Charles Barkley was
merely acting as the other side of what was at the time a hot-button cultural debate.
4) Parents Are Passing The Buck - Some statistics show that between 1965 and 1995, working Americans had 6 hours of leisure time per week. A common cultural critique at the time was that that
small amount of time was spent in front of the television set, as the TV became a surrogate parent.
3) Nike - It was Nike's ad, to begin with. Nike at the time had a reputation for
showcasing the more personal, cerebral side of professional athletes.
2) Don't Be Like Mike - According to the Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith, Barkley was the
Anti-Jordan. Barkley's "not a role model" aura was just part of his marketing.
1) He Really Wasn't a Role Model - Although many fans believed Barkley's candor made him one of the NBA's most lovable
players, his behavior occasionally backed up his claims, like in a game in the 1991-92 season where he (intending to spit on a
fan irritating him) accidentally spat on a 9-year old girl in Philadelphia, and an incident in Rochester, New York in which he threw a man through a window.
Legacy
During his stint as a member of the Suns, Barkley was controversial and outspoken. He was rumored to have dated
Madonna (he harkened on those rumors in Space Jam!), and he became a
favorite of late-night TV talk shows. He published a pair of equally controversial books
(Outrageous! and Sir Charles: The Wit And Wisdom of Charles Barkley, the former notable for Barkley's claim that he
was misquoted in his own autobiography), and he was rumored to plan to run for Governor of Alabama. Barkley was involved in many
lawsuits. In addition, he and Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo became involved in a
public dispute during Barkley's final season with the team.
On March 30, 2001, Barkley's number 34 jersey was retired by
the 76ers. On March 20, 2004, in a game against the
Milwaukee Bucks, Barkley's jersey was retired by the Suns, as he joined Connie Hawkins, Tom Chambers, Dan
Majerle, and Kevin Johnson in the "Suns Ring of Honor".
Barkley was also involved in a notorious incident involving a fan, who filed a lawsuit against him. According to a citizen, he
threw a man through a glass window during an altercation at an Orlando, Florida
nightclub. When asked if he had any regrets about throwing the man through the window, Barkley said, "I regret we weren't on a
higher floor."[3]
Post-basketball life
Inside the NBA
Barkley now works as a studio analyst on Inside The NBA for TNT and
plays at celebrity golf tournaments.
Charles Barkley has maintained his popularity from his playing days with his colorful analysis on the hit TNT television show
of Inside the NBA. The show has also won Emmy awards and has become renowned for Barkley's blunt yet humorous
analysis.
Barkley was also the center of controversy regarding up-and-coming Yao Ming. When Yao was
drafted as the #1 first-round pick, he initially met with a lot of disbelief and disdain. Barkley declared, "He's just not ready
yet" and also said that he was the "best player in Houston." He even said that he would "kiss Kenny
Smith's ass" if Yao scored 20 points in a game. Yao scored 20 points in his first game against the Los Angeles Lakers. An embarrassed Barkley kissed a donkey's behind on national television.
During a broadcast of a game which Barkley was courtside with Marv Albert Barkley was
poking fun of NBA official Dick Bavetta's age, to which Albert responded "I believe Dick
would beat you in a footrace." In spite of this accusation, Barkley has challenged Bavetta to a race at the 2007 NBA All-Star
Weekend for $5000. The winner will choose a charity for the money to be donated to. They will be racing either the length of the
basketball court or 100 yards. In the past Bavetta was on the recieving end on many of Barkley's puns on his old age, Barkley has
claimed that "Dick Bavetta is so old he was at the parting the Red Sea with Moses."
Gambling
In an interview with ESPN's Trey Wingo on May 3, 2006, Barkley revealed that he has lost approximately $10 million through
gambling. Barkley was already known to be a heavy gambler, but the scope of his losses was not
known until the interview.
Barkley admits that he has a gambling problem, but says it is not at serious as many others because he can afford it. On a
February 3, 2007 trip to Las Vegas, he claims to have won
$700,000 from playing blackjack and betting on the Indianapolis Colts to defeat the Chicago Bears in
Super Bowl XLI. [1]
Barkley also admits that he lost 2.5 million "in a six hour period" one night last year. He claims he is not upset about it.
[2]
Politics
Barkley, who spoke articulately for many years of his Republican Party affiliation and in 1995 considered running as a
G.O.P. candidate for Alabama's governorship in the 1998
election.[4] In 2006 he changed his political stance saying
"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 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."[5]
At a July 2006 meeting of the Southern Regional Conference of the National School Boards Association in Destin, Florida,
Barkley lent credence to the idea of his running for Governor of Alabama: "I'm serious. I've got to get people to realize that
the government is full of it. Republicans and Democrats want to argue over stuff that's not important, like gay marriage or the
war in Iraq or illegal immigration. ... When I run - if I run - we're going to talk about real issues like improving our schools,
cleaning up our neighborhoods of drugs and crime and making Alabama a better place for all people."[6]
In September 2006, Barkley reiterated his desire to run for Governor. ""I can't run until 2014," he said. "I have to live
there for seven years, so I'm looking for a house there as we speak." And he said he is an independent, not a Democrat as
previously reported. "The Republicans are full of it," Barkley said. "The Democrats are a little less full of it."[7]
Book
In 2000, Barkley wrote the foreword for Sports Illustrated columnist
Rick Reilly's book "The Life of Reilly." In it Barkley quipped, "Of all the people in sports
I'd like to throw through a plate glass window, Reilly's not one of them. It's a shame though, skinny white boy looks real
aerodynamic."
In 2002, Barkley released the book "I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It", which included editing and commentary by close
friend Michael Wilbon. In 2005, Barkley released "Who's Afraid of a Large Black
Man?", which is a collection of interviews with leading figures in entertainment, business, sports, and government.
Trivia
- During an altercation in a bar in 1997, Barkley threw 20-year-old Jorge Lugo through a plate-glass window. When interviewed
by police and asked if he regretted the event Barkley reportedly quipped "I regret we weren't on a higher floor."
- Despite being an ambassador for the game of basketball Barkley's two favorite sports are actually football and
boxing.[8]
- Had a brief fling with Madonna during the early 1990s. Madonna later commented on Late Night with David
Letterman that "it hurt."
- In an interview with Observer Music Monthly, DJ Danger
Mouse denied that his band's name, Gnarls Barkley is a reference to Charles
Barkley, saying "Nope. It's just like everything else on this record. There was no conscious decision about stuff."
- Barkley has appeared in both the arcade and console version of the video games NBA Jam and
NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC.
- Supported George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential elections, and John
Kerry in 2004.
- Barkley made appearances in the first 5 episodes of Clerks: The Animated
Series. In the first 3, he inexplicably appeared during Jay and Silent
Bob's "educational" segments at the end of the show, much to their chagrin. In the
fourth episode, he appears as a member of the jury (somehow composed entirely of then-current NBA stars) for the case of
Jay vs. Quick Stop Enterprises and Dante Hicks. In the fifth episode, he appears in spirit form, attempting to high-five
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and
Yoda, but gets the silent treatment.
Notes
- ^ Charles Barkley
Career Stats, BasketballReference.com, Accessed February 10, 2007
- ^ Barkley
Statistics, SportsStats.com, accessed February 10, 2007
- ^ sportsillustrated.com, Legend of
Sir Charles, accessed January 12, 2007
- ^ msnbc.com, Barkley renews talk of running for Ala. governor (AP article), accessed January 12, 2007
- ^ Chris Baldwin, Charles Barkley: John Mellencamp right, "Conservative means discriminatory", July 17, 2006
- ^ Charles J. Dean, Barkley may run in 2010, July 26, 2006
- ^ espn.com, Barkley serious about running for Alabama governor (AP article), accessed January 12,
2007
- ^ Monday Night Football, October 16, 2006, stated during a booth interview
with the MNF crew.
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