Charles Barkley

Barkley in 2010
No. 34, 32, 14, 4
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Sir Charles, The Round Mound of Rebound
Born	(1963-02-20) February 20, 1963 (age 49) Leeds, Alabama
High school	Leeds HS (Leeds, Alabama)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
College	Auburn (1981–1984)
NBA Draft	1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	1984–2000
Career history
1984–1992	Philadelphia 76ers
1992–1996	Phoenix Suns
1996–2000	Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Valuable Player (1993) 11× NBA All-Star (1987–1997) 5× All-NBA First Team (1988–1991, 1993) 5× All-NBA Second Team (1986–1987, 1992, 1994–1995) All-NBA Third Team (1996) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1991) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #34 Retired by Philadelphia 76ers / Phoenix Suns SEC Player of the Year (1984)
Career statistics
Points	23,757 (22.1 ppg)
Rebounds	12,546 (11.7 rpg)
Assists	4,215 (3.9 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's (NBA's) most dominating power forwards. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.^[1]

Barkley was popular with the fans and media and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for his last 13 seasons in the league.^[2] He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, as in March 1991 when he mistakenly spat on a young girl, and as in 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. Short for a power forward, Barkley used his strength and aggressiveness to become one of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. In 2000, he retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.^[3]

Since retiring as a player, Barkley has had a successful career as a television NBA analyst. He works with Turner Network Television (TNT) as a studio pundit for its coverage of NBA games.^[4] In addition, Barkley has written several books and has shown an interest in politics; in October 2008, he announced that he would run for Governor of Alabama in 2014,^[5] but he changed his mind in 2010.^[6]

Early life[link]

Barkley was born and raised in suburban Leeds, Alabama, ten miles (16 km) outside of Birmingham, and attended Leeds High School. As a junior, Barkley stood 5'10" (1.78 m) and weighed 220 pounds (99.8 kg). He failed to make the varsity team and was named as a reserve. However, during the summer Barkley grew to 6'4" and earned a starting position on the varsity team in his senior year. He averaged 19.1 points and 17.9 rebounds per game and led his team to a 26–3 record en route to the state semifinals.^[7] Despite his improvement, Barkley garnered no attention from college scouts until the state high school semifinals, where he scored 26 points against Alabama's most highly recruited player, Bobby Lee Hurt.^[7] An assistant to Auburn University's head coach, Sonny Smith, was at the game and reported seeing, "a fat guy... who can play like the wind".^[8] Barkley was soon recruited by Smith and majored in business management while attending Auburn University.^[7]

College[link]

Barkley played collegiate basketball at Auburn University for three years. Although he struggled to control his weight, he excelled as a player and led the SEC in rebounding each year.^[2] He became a popular crowd-pleaser, exciting the fans with dunks and blocked shots that belied his lack of height and overweight frame. It was not uncommon to see the hefty Barkley grab a defensive rebound and, instead of passing, dribble the entire length of the court and finish at the opposite end with a two-handed dunk. His physical size and skills ultimately earned him the nickname "The Round Mound of Rebound."^[4]

During his college career, Barkley played the center position, despite being shorter than the average center. His height, officially listed as 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), is stated as 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) in his book, I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It. He became a member of Auburn's All-Century team and still holds the Auburn record for career field goal percentage with 62.6%.^[9] He received numerous awards, including Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year (1984), three All-SEC selections and one Second Team All-American selection.^[10] Later, Barkley was named the SEC Player of the Decade for the 1980s by the Birmingham Post-Herald.^[9]

In Barkley's three-year college career, he averaged 14.8 points on 68.2% field goal shooting, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.^[9] In 1984, he made his only appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished with 23 points on 80% field goal shooting, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.^[11] Auburn retired Barkley's No. 34 jersey on March 3, 2001.^[9]

Barkley later admitted to receiving money from an agent during his years at Auburn.^[12]

NBA career[link]

Philadelphia 76ers[link]

Barkley with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1991

Barkley left before his final year at Auburn and made himself eligible for the 1984 NBA Draft. He was selected with the fifth pick in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers, two slots after the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan. He joined a veteran team that included Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks, players who took Philadelphia to the 1983 NBA championship. Under the tutelage of Malone, Barkley was able to manage his weight and learned to prepare and condition himself properly for a game. He averaged 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during the regular season and earned a berth on the All-Rookie Team.^[3] In the postseason, the Sixers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but were defeated in five games by the Boston Celtics.^[13] As a rookie in the postseason, Barkley averaged 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.^[2]

During his second year, Barkley became the team's leading rebounder and number two scorer, averaging 20.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.^[3] He became the Sixers' starting power forward and helped lead his team into the playoffs, averaging 25.0 points on .578 shooting from the field and 15.8 rebounds per game.^[3] Despite his efforts, Philadelphia was defeated 4–3 by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team.^[2]

Before the 1986–87 season, Moses Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets and Barkley began to assume control as the team leader. He earned his first rebounding title, averaging 14.6 rebounds per game and also led the league in offensive rebounds with 5.7 per game.^[3] He averaged 23.0 points on .594 shooting,^[3] earning his first trip to an NBA All-Star game and All-NBA Second Team honors for the second straight season. In the playoffs, Barkley averaged 24.6 points and 12.6 rebounds in a losing effort,^[14] for the second straight year, to the Bucks in a five-game first round playoff series.^[15]

The following season, Julius Erving announced his retirement and Barkley became the Sixers' franchise player.^[2] Playing in 80 games and getting 300 more minutes than his nearest teammate, Barkley had his most productive season, averaging 28.3 points on .587 shooting and 11.9 rebounds per game.^[3] He appeared in his second All-Star Game and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. His celebrity status as the Sixers' franchise player led to his first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated.^[2] For the first time since the 1974–75 season, however, the 76ers failed to make the playoffs.^[2] In the 1988–89 season, Barkley continued to play well, averaging 25.8 points on .579 shooting and 12.5 rebounds per game.^[3] He earned his third straight All-Star Game appearance and was named to the All-NBA First team for the second straight season.^[4] Despite Barkley contributing 27.0 points on .644 shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game,^[14] the 76ers were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks.^[16]

During the 1989–90 season, despite receiving more first-place votes,^[17] Barkley finished second in MVP voting behind the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson.^[18] He was named Player of the Year by The Sporting News and Basketball Weekly.^[2] He averaged 25.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and a career high .600 shooting.^[3] He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive year and earned his fourth All-Star selection.^[4] He helped Philadelphia win 53 regular season games, only to lose to the Chicago Bulls in a five-game Eastern Conference Semifinals series.^[19] Barkley averaged 24.7 points and 15.5 rebounds in another postseason loss.^[14] His exceptional play continued into his seventh season, where he averaged 27.6 points on .570 shooting and 10.1 rebounds per game.^[3] His fifth straight All-Star Game appearance proved to be his best yet. He led the East to a 116–114 win over the West with 17 points and 22 rebounds, the most rebounds in an All-Star Game since Wilt Chamberlain recorded 22 in 1967.^[2] Barkley was presented with Most Valuable Player honors at the All-Star Game and, at the end of the season, named to the All-NBA First Team for the fourth straight year.^[2] In the postseason, Philadelphia lost again to Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Barkley contributing 24.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.^[14]

The 1991–92 season was Barkley's final year in Philadelphia. In his last season, he wore number 32 instead of his 34 to honor Magic Johnson,^[20] who had announced prior to the start of the season that he was HIV-positive. Although the 76ers initially retired the number 32 in honor of Billy Cunningham, it was unretired for Barkley to wear. Following Johnson's announcement, Barkley also apologized for having made light of his condition. Responding to concerns that players may contract HIV by contact with Johnson, Barkley stated, "We're just playing basketball. It's not like we're going out to have unprotected sex with Magic."^[21]