Charles Barkley
In 1984, the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Charles Barkley with the No. 5 overall pick. Prior to his NBA debut, the Alabama native spent three years at Auburn University where he still holds the school record for his field goal percentage (62.6%). Barkley joined the NBA All-Rookie First Team in his first year with the 76ers. After eight seasons of learning from Philadelphia greats like Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, and Moses Malone, the power forward became the NBA MVP in 1993 with the Phoenix Suns.
Along the way, Barkley represented the U.S. at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, winning two gold medals. The 11-time All-Star eventually played for Houston Rockets, rounding out his 16-year NBA career as the Round Mound of Rebound. Since his retirement in 2000, Barkley has had a successful career as an NBA commentator, earning four Sports Emmy Awards for his work on TNT.
- Birthday: February 20, 1963
- Hometown: Leeds, Alabama
- College: Auburn University
- Height: 6’6″
- Spouse: Maureen Blumhardt (m. 1989)
- Children: Christiana Barkley
- Jersey: No. 34 (Phoenix Suns) and No. 32 (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Number of NBA championship wins: 0
- Number of NBA championship appearances: 1 (1993)
Visit Charles Barkley’s profile on Basketball-Reference.com.
Read the latest articles about Charles Barkley:
19-year-old Dirk Nowitzki dropped 50-plus points in an exhibition against a team featuring his idol, Scottie Pippen, and later said he was disappointed because Pippen was an “arrogant ass.”
Charles Barkley may be rich and famous, but his key to success is something that anyone can follow.
During the 1993 NBA Finals, Charles Barkley claimed to have both God and destiny on his side. That still wasn’t enough to beat Michael Jordan, though.
Charles Barkley received many accolades in his career. He’s a Hall of Famer, an Olympic gold medalist, and an NBA MVP. But being cut by Bobby Knight from the 1984 U.S. Olympic team still rankles him.
For years, Charles Barkley and Michal Jordan were close friends. Now, Barkley emotionally explains why they’re not anymore. Barkley sat down with legendary sports host Bob Costas and emotionally explained the comments he made that ended the long-time friendship between the two iconic NBA superstars and how it hurts him to this day.
While Charles Barkley is never one to back down from a challenge, the forward did find himself hiring security guards in 1997.
Charles Barkley had some harsh words for the unvaccinated.
Charles Barkley may have been an incredible NBA athlete, but trying to flying was a bridge too far.
Charles Barkley blamed his father and Ms. Gomez for his anger issues early in his NBA career.
Charles Barkley created quite a bit of controversy with his actions and comments against an Angolan player during his time with the Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics.
