Charles Barkley Profile

“Sir” Charles Barkley

by Devin Gray

“Chuck Wagon”

“Crisco Kid”

“The Round Mound of Rebound”

Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets – 16 Years, 1073 games

6’4” – 292 lb – 22.1 pts – 11.7 reb – 3.9 ast – 1.54 stl - .541 fg%

SLAM #130 “The New Top 50” June 2009 Ranking: 20

“Book of Basketball”- Bill Simmons’ Ranking: 19

Charles Barkley demanded respect. Barkley was used to being an undersized player and had adapted his game perfectly as an undersized high school forward who grew from 5’10” to 6’4” between his junior year and senior year. As a player of undersized stature, he played beyond his height and established a remarkable career NBA rebounding average of 11.7 and holds the record for offensive rebounds in a half (13) and in a quarter (11).  As he filled out, pudge became muscle and Charles established himself as a prospect with professional potential. Suddenly, he was a massive, all-star forward and could propel his gigantic frame with explosive guard-like skills. Barkley however wasn’t a genetic freak blessed with speed, height or grace, and was an unconventional build for professional basketball. He became the “Round Mound of Rebound” and a college celebrity at Auburn, finishing after his junior year. He declared for the NBA draft and was taken fifth overall in the legendary 1984 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

He faced a tough reputation as lazy, not taking advantage of his potential, a bad attitude, and a coach’s nightmare. He learned work ethic and perseverance from veteran 76er teammates Moses Malone and Julius Erving, both however retired from the team when Barkley was only twenty-four. He took over the team as a power forward in a small forward’s body, with guard instincts and the mad desire to rebound, a rare combination of NBA level talents. A combination of power and finesse he was never completely in shape, yet nobody wanted to step in front of him when he had pumped up a head of steam, charging the length of the floor after grabbing the defensive rebound.

He was one of the NBA’s brightest and most marketable stars in the NBA’s golden age of the nineties with his “Sir Charles” personality and charisma. He was an honest celebrity, he was Force to MJ’s Flight, and his role as the anti-hero and the anti-Jordan, in a playful ‘Space Jam/ Dream Team’ kind of way, endeared him to many fans. Charles never won an NBA championship, but neither did many of the greatest players of all time who were unfortunate enough to play in the early nineties- against the Chicago Bulls dynasty.

A Hall-of-Famer, he once averaged 28.3 points, 58.7% field goals, and 11.9 rebounds in 87-88, made 15 field goals in one playoff half, and ranks in the top twenty all-time in points, steals and rebounds. He achieved eighteen career triple-doubles, won NBA MVP for the 1992-1993 season with the Phoenix Suns, and became only the second player to accumulate 23,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 4000 assists in his career. At the age of 47, Charles is now an analyst/ commentator for TNT, where he is the victim of fat jokes nightly, but takes them with grace and dignity.

Charles Barkley “Original” Detroit Malace in the Palace Brawl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTccIZYPT8

Against the 90s “bad boy” Pistons, who have a tough reputation, the 76ers are trying to clinch the Atlantic Division title. With 14.3 seconds remaining there is a series of confrontations which escalate into a brawl in Detroit. Charles Barkley has the neck of his Jersey stretched, goes after a fan and many players are ejected. It's seriously like deja vu.