Charles Barkley
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Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963 in Leeds, Alabama) is a former American basketball power forward. A resident of Arizona, Barkley is most commonly nicknamed Sir Charles. Barkley was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA in 1993. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (http://www.nba.com/history/players/50greatest.html).
Barkley is best remembered for his tenacity for rebounds, despite his lack of height. Besides being one of the best rebounders ever, he was also a prolific scorer and a consummate team player. He is both liked and criticized for his candid remarks and quotes.
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Career
Barkley played college basketball for Auburn University, where he excelled as a player. He mainly played center at Auburn, despite being far shorter than normal for the position; he stands slightly under 6'5" (1.95 m). In 1984, he began in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers. Early in his career, Barkley had a weight problem, sometimes weighing over 300 pounds (136 kg) at Auburn. His nickname of "The Round Mound of Rebound" dates back to his Auburn days. He battled those problems, however, and was able to fill the spot left by Julius Erving on the team. With Barkley, the team reached the playoffs every year until he was traded in 1992 to the Phoenix Suns.
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. 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.
After joining Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and friend Michael Jordan for the 1992 US Dream Team that won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, Barkley went to the Suns, where he became a vital part of the team's trip to the 1993 NBA Finals, scoring 25 points per game and becoming one of the most popular players ever among Suns fans. At the Finals, Barkley and the Suns lost to Michael Jordan, fellow Dream Teamer 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 almost won the NBA championship, losing in the Western semi-finals in 7 games to eventual NBA champions the Houston Rockets. In 1995, the Suns suffered exactly the same fate in the playoffs as the year before. In 1996, Barkley and the Suns struggled to a 41-41 record, having to win 13 games in a row at the end to squeeze out a playoff spot. He also was a member of the gold medal winning American team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Barkley was then traded to the Houston Rockets, where he joined Hakeem Olajuwon in their quest to win championships. But as a member of the Rockets, Barkley faced back injury problems, which ultimately led to his retirement in 2000. 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. 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, scoring a basket in front of Houston's home fans on April 19, 2000 against the Grizzlies. Barkley retired immediately after that game.
During his career in the NBA, Barkey totalled 23,757 points for an average of 23 points per game, and 12,546 rebounds, for an average of 11.7 rebounds per game. He was an All-Star nine times, and he helped his teams to the playoffs every year he played.
Additional info
During his stint as a member of the Suns, Barkley was controversial and outspoken. He was rumored to have dated Madonna, and he became a favorite of late-night TV talk shows. He published a pair of equally controversial books, he was rumored to plan to run for Governor of Alabama, and was in the middle of many lawsuits. And, to top it all, he and Suns owner Jerry Colangelo became involved in a very public dispute during his last year as a Sun.
Later on, Barkley and Colangelo have seemingly cleared up their differences. On March 19, 2004, Barkley's number 34 jersey was retired by the Suns, as he joined Connie Hawkins, Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, among others, in the Suns Ring of Honor.
One of the most infamous cases involving Barkley in a lawsuit was one where, according to an Orlando man, he threw the man through a glass window during an altercation at an Orlando restaurant. Tired of people's accusations, Barkley, who is accessible to the public for autographs and hand shaking most of the time, limited his accessibility to the public to not much more than that.
Barkley now broadcasts games for TNT and plays at celebrity golf tournaments.
Charles Barkley also made several appearances in the short-lived series Clerks.
Political aspirations?
Barkley has long held outspoken libertarian political views and has hinted at a possible run for Governor of Alabama. Rumors swirled that he was Republican. However, he rejected that rumor soon after he found out about it. He has repeatedly denied that he was a Republican in different TV interviews, and that he would run as an Independent. "I voted for John Kerry, and I was disappointed that he lost." (Tim Russert, 4/16/2005)
See also
| 1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – "Dream Team" |
| Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Clyde Drexler | Patrick Ewing | Magic Johnson | Michael Jordan | Christian Laettner | Karl Malone | Chris Mullin | Scottie Pippen | David Robinson | John Stockton |
| Coach Chuck Daly |
| 1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball |
| Charles Barkley | Anfernee Hardaway | Grant Hill | Karl Malone | Reggie Miller | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Gary Payton | Scottie Pippen | Mitch Richmond | David Robinson | John Stockton |
| Coach Lenny Wilkens |