Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley was born on the 20th of February, 1963 in Leeds, Alabama. He grew up as the first black baby to be born at a segregated, all-white town hospital. His early life unfolded within a family that faced significant hardship after his father abandoned them when he was young. A younger brother named Darryl and another son named John Glenn joined the household after his mother remarried. Another brother named Rennie died in infancy before Charles reached adulthood. The death of his stepfather in an accident occurred when Charles was just eleven years old.
His high school journey began with a setback that would define his future resilience. As a junior, Barkley stood five feet ten inches tall and weighed one hundred eighty pounds. He failed to make the varsity team and was named as a reserve player instead. During the summer months, however, he grew to six feet six inches and earned a starting position on the varsity squad as a senior. He averaged nineteen point one points and seventeen point nine rebounds per game during that season. His team finished with a twenty-six win and three loss record en route to the state semi-finals.
College scouts ignored him until the state high school semi-finals where he scored twenty-six points against Bobby Lee Hurt. An assistant to Auburn University's head coach Sonny Smith watched that game and reported seeing "a fat guy... who can play like the wind". Barkley was soon recruited by Smith and majored in business management while attending Auburn University. He became a popular crowd-pleaser at Auburn despite struggling to control his weight.
Barkley played sixteen seasons in the National Basketball Association after being drafted fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. He joined a veteran team that included Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Maurice Cheeks. Under the tutelage of Malone, Barkley learned to manage his weight and prepare properly for games. He cited Malone as the most influential player of his career and often referred to him as Dad. In his rookie season, Barkley averaged fourteen point zero points and eight point six rebounds per game.
During the 1986, 87 season, Barkley led the league in rebounding average and earned his first rebounding title. He recorded thirty-four points, ten rebounds, and a career-high fourteen assists in a loss to the Indiana Pacers on November fourth, 1986. On March twentieth, 1987, he logged twenty-six points, twenty-five rebounds including sixteen offensive rebounds, and nine assists against the Denver Nuggets. He averaged fourteen point six rebounds per game and also led the league in offensive rebounds with five point seven per game.
His physical size fluctuated between six feet four inches and six feet six inches despite being shorter than the typical power forward. Barkley used his strength and aggression to become one of the NBA's best rebounders and scorers. He became known as "The Round Mound of Rebound" and the "Crisco Kid" due to his stocky build. He was an eleven-time NBA All-Star and an eleven-time member of the All-NBA Team. He won the 1993 NBA Most Valuable Player award while playing for the Phoenix Suns.
Barkley competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States men's basketball team. International rules changed in 1992 allowing NBA players to compete in the Olympics for the first time. The team was nicknamed the Dream Team and went eight wins and zero losses against Olympic opponents. They averaged an Olympic record one hundred seventeen point three points a game.
During the 1992 tournament, Barkley led the team with eighteen point zero points on seventy-one point one percent field goal shooting. He set a then-Olympic single-game scoring record with thirty points in a victory over Brazil. He also set a U.S. Men's Olympic record for highest three-point field goal percentage at eighty-seven point five percent. During the game versus Angola, Barkley elbowed Herlander Coimbra in the chest and claimed he was hit first. He was called for an intentional foul on that play.
At the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, Barkley led the team in scoring, rebounds, and field goal percentage. He averaged twelve point four points on eighty-one point six percent field goal shooting. This performance set another U.S. Men's Olympic record. Under his leadership, the team compiled a perfect eight wins and zero losses record and captured their second gold medal. Barkley contributed six point six rebounds per game during these tournaments.
On March twenty-sixth, 1991, Barkley attempted to spit on a fan who was allegedly heckling him with racial slurs. The result was that his spit hit a young girl instead of the intended target. Rod Thorn, the NBA president of operations at the time, suspended Barkley without pay for one game and fined him ten thousand dollars. It became a national story and Barkley was vilified for the incident. He eventually developed a friendship with the girl and her family and provided them with tickets to future games.
In 1993, Barkley declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. His argument prompted national news when he wrote the text for his Nike commercial stating "I am not a role model". Dan Quayle called it a family-values message for Barkley's oft-ignored call for parents and teachers to quit looking to him to raise their kids. Barkley argued that media demands athletes be role models because there is some jealousy involved in making it tough on a young black kid playing a game for living.
Barkley faced other legal troubles including a DUI conviction on December thirty-first, 2008. He was pulled over in Scottsdale, Arizona for running a stop sign and had a blood-alcohol level of point-one-four-nine. He was sentenced to three days in jail after entering an alcohol treatment program. He also admitted to losing approximately ten million dollars through compulsive gambling habits.
Since 2000, Barkley has served as a studio analyst for Turner Network Television on Inside The NBA. He appears alongside Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal during pre-game and halftime shows. Barkley has won five Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Studio Analyst for his work on TNT. He occasionally works as an onsite game analyst and participates in special NBA events.
During the broadcast of a game courtside with Marv Albert, Barkley poked fun at NBA official Dick Bavetta's age. Albert replied that he believed Dick would beat Barkley in a footrace. Barkley challenged Bavetta to a race at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend for five thousand dollars. The pair raced for three and a half lengths of the basketball court until Barkley ultimately won. After the event, the two kissed in a show of good sportsmanship.
In June 2024, Barkley announced his intention to retire from television following the conclusion of the 2024, 25 NBA season. He later reversed this decision in August, deciding to stay with TNT Sports on his ten-year contract worth two hundred ten million dollars. In 2025, Inside The NBA moved to ESPN.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Charles Barkley born?
Charles Wade Barkley was born on the 20th of February, 1963 in Leeds, Alabama. He grew up as the first black baby to be born at a segregated, all-white town hospital.
How did Charles Barkley get recruited by Auburn University?
An assistant to Auburn University's head coach Sonny Smith watched Barkley score twenty-six points against Bobby Lee Hurt during the state high school semi-finals. Barkley was soon recruited by Smith and majored in business management while attending Auburn University.
What awards did Charles Barkley win during his NBA career?
Barkley became an eleven-time NBA All-Star and an eleven-time member of the All-NBA Team. He won the 1993 NBA Most Valuable Player award while playing for the Phoenix Suns.
Did Charles Barkley win Olympic gold medals with the Dream Team?
Barkley competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States men's basketball team. The team went eight wins and zero losses against Olympic opponents during both tournaments.
Why was Charles Barkley suspended from the NBA in 1991?
On March twenty-sixth, 1991, Barkley attempted to spit on a fan who was allegedly heckling him with racial slurs but hit a young girl instead. Rod Thorn, the NBA president of operations at the time, suspended Barkley without pay for one game and fined him ten thousand dollars.