Table of Contents
Who is Charles Barkley?
Charles Wade Barkley is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history. This former American basketball player has been inducted twice into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame!
A versatile player, he also represented the United States in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, winning two gold medals as a member of the “Dream Team.”
As a result, Barkley has an impressive career history.
Childhood, Early Life, and Education
On February 20, 1963, Charles Wade Barkley was born.
In Leeds, Alabama, his parents, Frank and Charley Barkley, gave birth to him.
Charles’ parents split, and he was raised by his mother.
His father refused to accept the duty of parenting and abandoned his children.
Charles can’t recall when his father abandoned him because he was too young.
Barkley’s childhood was not without its ups and downs.
He was raised in poverty by his mother, stepfather, and siblings.
When he was 11 years old, his stepfather was killed in an accident.
He was the first black baby born in an all-white hospital in a segregated community in Alabama.
He was also one of the first black pupils to attend an integrated elementary school.
As a result, furious white people gathered outside the school, and his grandmother was forced to accompany Charles to school with a revolver in her handbag.
Charley, Charles’s mother, did two or three jobs for white families, cleaning houses and cooking.
Charles had to look after his younger brothers.
When Charley couldn’t afford a babysitter, she would bring their children to work and do yard chores for which he got paid.
As a junior, Charles stood 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 114kg (225 pounds) at Leeds High School.
Despite failing to make varsity, he was chosen as a reserve.
He grew to 6 feet 4 inches throughout the summer and won a starting place on varsity as a senior.
Basketball Career
Despite his progress, he was unable to attract college notice until the state high school semi-finals.
Sonny Smith, Auburn University’s assistant to the head coach, was there during the game.
“There’s a huge guy here who can play like the wind,” he said when he phoned him.
Career as an Amateur
Barkley played three seasons of collegiate basketball for Auburn University.
He studied business management in addition to basketball.
Moreover, he was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year (1984), three All-SEC choices, and one Second Team All-American during his college career.
Despite being shorter than the normal center, his zeal and energy secured him a spot in the lineup.
During his undergraduate career, he rose to prominence as a crowd-pleaser, thrilling fans with dunks and blocked shots despite his height and weight.
Furthermore, his abilities earned him the moniker “The Round Mound of Rebound” and the “Crisco Kid.”
Despite his celebrity, some people doubted he would go far.
Many saw him as an “undersized power forward with hardly noticeable basketball skills.”
During his three years at college, he averaged 14.8 points per game, 9.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.6 assists, and 9.6 rebounds.
Barkley left before the end of his senior year to enter the 1984 NBA draft.
Professional Development
Barkley was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA Draft. In the first round, he was selected with the fifth pick.
Despite his small stature, his exceptional leaping ability and extraordinary power propelled him to the ranks of the game’s finest rebounders.
He had joined a club that had won the NBA championship in 1983, headed by veterans such as Julius Erving, Moses Malon, and Maurice Cheeks.
Barkley controlled his weight and honed his current skills while under Malone’s supervision.
In his first year, he averaged 14.0 points per game throughout the regular season.
Barkley was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for eight seasons.
Furthermore, he rose to prominence and was one of the few NBA players to have an action figure created by Kenner’s Starting Lineup.
Barkley was dealt to the Phoenix Suns for the 1992-93 season.
In his debut season, he helped Phoenix to the NBA’s top record, leading to the team’s first NBA finals appearance since 1976 and earning the league’s Most Valuable Player title.
Furthermore, he was the only third player to win the award right after being traded.
Despite leading the team to the NBA finals, they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls.
Barkley’s first season with the Phoenix Suns was his crowning achievement.
Their friendship had already worsened during his final season with the Suns.
And had stated that if he was not traded to a contender, he would consider retiring.
He was dealt to the Houston Rockets in 1996.
Rockets of Houston
The Houston Rockets were his final chance to win the NBA championship.
He instead joined the seasoned group that comprised Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
His first season with the Rockets was not a happy one.
For example, he was suspended and fined $5,000 for shoving Charles Oakley in the season opener.
In the 1996-97 season, his involvement with the Rockets propelled him to the conference finals.
However, he was unable to win the NBA championship.
Injuries continue to plague Barkley, and his basketball career was cut short in 1999 when he ruptured his left quadriceps tendon.
Because basketball meant so much to him, he refused to let an injury be his last basketball memory and returned after four months for one final game in 2000.
Olympics
Barkley competed in the Olympic Games in 1992 and 1996.
They won gold medals as members of the United States men’s basketball team in both games.
The Dream Team, as the United States men’s basketball team was dubbed in 1992, included active NBA players.
It was the first time NBA players competed in the Olympics, as they had previously been barred from doing so.
Charles Barkley’s professional statistics
|
Year
|
Team
|
GP
|
Min
|
Pts
|
FG%
|
3pt%
|
Reb
|
Ast
|
Stl
|
Blk
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1999
|
Houston Rockets
|
20
|
31.0
|
14.4
|
47.7
|
23.1
|
10.4
|
3.2
|
0.7
|
0.2
|
|
1999
|
Houston Rockets
|
42
|
36.3
|
16.1
|
47.8
|
16.0
|
12.3
|
4.6
|
1.0
|
0.3
|
|
1997
|
Houston Rockets
|
68
|
33.0
|
15.2
|
48.5
|
21.4
|
11.7
|
3.2
|
1.0
|
0.4
|
|
1996
|
Houston Rockets
|
53
|
37.9
|
19.2
|
48.4
|
28.3
|
13.5
|
4.7
|
1.3
|
0.5
|
|
1995
|
Phoenix Suns
|
71
|
37.1
|
23.2
|
50.0
|
28.0
|
11.6
|
3.7
|
1.6
|
0.8
|
|
1994
|
Phoenix Suns
|
68
|
35.0
|
23.0
|
48.6
|
33.8
|
11.1
|
4.1
|
1.6
|
0.7
|
|
1993
|
Phoenix Suns
|
65
|
35.4
|
21.6
|
49.5
|
27.0
|
11.2
|
4.6
|
1.6
|
0.6
|
|
1992
|
Phoenix Suns
|
76
|
37.6
|
25.6
|
52.0
|
30.5
|
12.2
|
5.1
|
1.6
|
1.0
|
|
1991
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
75
|
38.4
|
23.1
|
55.2
|
23.4
|
11.1
|
4.1
|
1.8
|
0.6
|
|
1990
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
67
|
37.3
|
27.6
|
57.0
|
28.4
|
10.1
|
4.2
|
1.6
|
0.5
|
|
1989
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
79
|
39.1
|
25.2
|
60.0
|
21.7
|
11.5
|
3.9
|
1.9
|
0.6
|
|
1988
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
79
|
39.1
|
25.8
|
57.9
|
21.6
|
12.5
|
4.1
|
1.6
|
0.8
|
|
1987
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
80
|
39.6
|
28.3
|
58.7
|
28.0
|
11.9
|
3.2
|
1.2
|
1.3
|
|
1986
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
68
|
40.3
|
23.0
|
59.4
|
20.2
|
14.6
|
4.9
|
1.8
|
1.5
|
|
1985
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
80
|
36.9
|
20.0
|
57.2
|
22.7
|
12.8
|
3.9
|
2.2
|
1.6
|
|
1984
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
82
|
28.6
|
14.0
|
54.5
|
16.7
|
8.6
|
1.9
|
1.2
|
1.0
|
|
Career
|
1,073
|
36.7
|
22.1
|
54.1
|
26.6
|
11.7
|
3.9
|
1.5
|
0.8
|
Charles Barkley Post-basketball
Barkley joined Turner Network Television as an analyst in 2000 after retiring from basketball.
During pre-game and halftime, he covers the NBA.
In addition, he appears on Inside the NBA, a post-game show in which Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson Jr., and Kenny Smith recap and comment on the games.
He has also appeared in Space Jam, Saturday Night Live, Suits, and Modern Family on television.
He wrote two books in 2002: “I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It” and “Who’s Afraid of a Big Black Man?” in 2006.
Disagreements
Barkley is regarded as one of the most controversial basketball players in history due to his outspokenness and strong ideas.
During a game against the New Jersey Nets in 1991, a fan yelled racial obscenities at him.
In his rage, he tried to spit at him but instead spits on an innocent girl.
Barkley was arrested in 2009 for drunk driving and running a red light. He was imprisoned for five days.
133 motivational Quotes
The most recent issue occurred in 2020 when Shaquille O’Neal shot Breonna Taylor while defending cops.
He stated that her death should not be equated to other deaths as a result of police violence, and that “her lover did shoot at the Cops.”
Character
Without a doubt, Barkley has an inspirational personality.
He is known as warm and humorous.
Many people may mistake his outspoken demeanor for arrogance, although this is not the case.
He has, on the contrary, been a kind spouse, father, and brother.
Charles needs discipline and focus, and this is the path to success for him.
These characteristics gave him the moniker “Sir Charles.”
Wife and personal life
Barkley married former model Maureen Blumhardt in 1989.
She currently works with the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation.
They allegedly met in a diner in Pennsylvania in the 1980s.
Christina Barkley, their daughter, was born in 1989, making their family three.
She earned a journalism degree from Columbia Journalism School in New York.
Christina has kept a quiet profile her entire life.
Net worth
It’s no surprise that Barkley enjoys a lavish lifestyle.
Coming from a low-income family, he spent all of his time and emphasis on basketball and deserves all of this privilege. Celebritynetworth.com reports that
His salary as a basketball player was $40 million.
Furthermore, he was endorsed by Nike.
TNT paid him $6 million each year as a studio commentator.
Charles, unfortunately, is a compulsive gambler.
He claimed to lose $10-30 million throughout the course of his life.
Also, read
Leicester City 0-2 Manchester City,
Houston Rockets finally end their 20th straight losing streak,
Man City in the Champions League Quarter-Finals
Social Media
Barkley has publicly voiced his thoughts on social media.
In an appearance with Jimmy Kimmel, for example, he stated that “social media are for losers.”
Watch this amusing clip from the interview in which he expresses his thoughts on social media and harsh comments.
He’d be the last person to sign up for social networking.
Furthermore, he has multiple fan accounts in his name.
