Barkley, Charles

Charles Barkley

1963-

American basketball player

During a sixteen-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), forward Charles Barkley proved himself to be one of best basketball players of all

time, as well as one of the more controversial. An excellent rebounder despite his generous girth and unexceptional height, he was dubbed "The Round Mound of Rebound" while a player at Auburn University. As a pro, he became "Sir Charles" and was named league MVP for the 1992-1993 season, became a perennial member of the All-Star Team, and was rated as one of the top fifty players of all time by the NBA. None of these rewards, however, lessened his desire to play for a championship team, a goal that sent him from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets. Off the court, Barkley often made news with his verbal and physical sparring. After retiring in 2000, he became an analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA, where his wit and willingness to criticize make for lively viewing.

Growing Up

Born February 20, 1963 in Leeds, Alabama, Barkley weighed just six pounds at birth and suffered from anemia to the degree that he required a complete blood transfusion at six weeks. His parents Frank and Charcey Glenn Barkley divorced when he was still a baby. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. By the tenth grade, when he was a chubby five feet-ten inches and not yet a varsity player, Barkley had decided he was going to play in the NBA and make a great deal of money. His prospects improved when a growth spurt pushed him to six feet-four inches prior to his senior year. Subsequently, he starred on the Leeds High varsity team, averaging 19.1 points and 17.9 rebounds per game. When an Auburn University assistant coach saw Barkley score twenty-six points in the state semifinals, he recommended him to head coach Sonny Smith as fat but decidedly fast and talented.

At Auburn, Barkley broke the university record for blocked shots with 145. During his junior year he was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. Barkley also came close to joining the U.S. Olympic team in 1984, being one of the last four players eliminated. Coach Bobby Knight of Indiana University was not a fan of Barkley's showy style of play, which included 360-degree spinning dunks. Shortly thereafter, the young player left Auburn a year early to join the NBA. He was the fifth player selected in the 1984 draft, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan , and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dominant Rebounder

In Philadelphia, Barkley joined established stars Julius Erving and Moses Malone . He did well in his first season, averaging fourteen points and 8.6 rebounds per game. During the next two seasons, he evolved into a starter for Philadelphia and became the shortest player to lead the NBA in rebounding. In 1987 Barkley was named to the All Star team for the first time. Some analysts have connected Barkley's playing success with his unusual physique, saying that he was able block with his wide body and outrun bigger opponents. Barkley, however, credits his success to his greater competitiveness and emotion on the court.

Emotion, however, would sometimes get Barkley in trouble. He began to complain about his teammates, whom he lumped together as "a bad team that has to play perfect to win." The comment resulted in a $3,000 fine. During the 1991-1992 season, Barkley tried to spit on a heckler who sat court-side, but missed and hit a little girl. He apologized to the girl and gifted her family with season tickets, and was fined again. That same year, he was arrested for punching a man in Milwaukee, but was acquitted when a jury decided that the other man had started the fight. Amidst media coverage of such events, Barkley was chastised for not serving as a better role model for children. He responded that playing basketball well does not automatically make someone a hero. Felons and drug addicts can dunk, he pointed out. His own heroes were his mother and grandmother, whom he credited with showing him how to work hard.

Barkley continued to improve his game, but the Philadelphia team often struggled. In 1989 former Detroit Piston "Bad Boy" Rick Mahorn joined the 76ers and became part of a "Bump and Thump" partnership with Barkley. They helped the 76ers win the Atlantic division title, but the team lost to the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the second round of the finals. When Barkley missed fifteen games in 1990-1991 season, the team fizzled and missed the playoffs.

In 1992 Barkley was named to the "Dream Team" representing the United States in the Olympics, when the rules were changed to allow professional players. At the competition in Barcelona, Spain, he led the U.S. team in scoring but was also a source of embarrassment when he elbowed a thin player from Angola and then threatened to boycott the awards ceremony. Along with Michael Jordan, he objected to wearing uniforms made by Reebok when he was a paid spokesman for Nike.

Chronology

1963	Born February 20 in Leeds, Alabama
1981-84	Stars in basketball at Auburn University
1984	Cut during U.S. Olympic basketball team trials
1984	Selected fifth in the NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers
1989	Marries Maureen Blumhardt
1989	Daughter Christiana born
1992	Selected for the first Olympic "Dream Team"
1992	Traded to the Phoenix Suns
1993	Awarded NBA Most Valuable Player Award
1996	Traded to the Houston Rockets
1996	Selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history
1996	Appears in motion picture Space Jam
2000	Retires from professional basketball
2000	Joins cast of TNT's Inside the NBA

Awards and Accomplishments

All-NBA first team 1987-88 to 1990-91, 1992-93; second team 1985-86, 1986-87, 1991-92, 1993-94, 1994-95; third team 1995-96
1983-84	Named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year
1985	Named to NBA All-Rookie Team
1987-88	First year named as NBA All Star
1992, 1996	Member U.S. Olympic team
1992	Named NBA Most Valuable Player
1996	Named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history
1999	Achieved 12,000th career rebound, 23,000th career point, and 4,000th career assist

Heads to Phoenix

After campaigning to be traded, Barkley became a member of the Phoenix Suns beginning with the 1992-1993 season. That year, the Suns had the best record in the NBA and Barkley won the MVP award. The team met the Chicago Bulls in the NBA finals, where they lost the series in Game six. The next year, Barkley considered retiring when he hurt his back in training camp. But the idea of trying again for the NBA title lured him back. However, the Suns would lose to Houston in the Western Conference semi-finals. During the 1995-96 season, Barkley experienced regular knee pain, but still managed to average 23.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. When the Suns lost in the first round of the playoffs, Barkley was outspoken about his desire to play for a better team.

Reluctantly Retires

The last three years of Barkley's career were spent with the Houston Rockets. He was happy with the change, but would spend less time playing because of injuries. During the 1996-1997 season he was named one of the NBA's top fifty players of all time. Not only was he near the top of the NBA's all-time scoring list, he was one of only four players in league history to accumulate at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 3,500 assists. A torn quadriceps tendon reinforced Barkley's decision to retire in 2000. It was a difficult parting for the player, who would later be tempted to follow the example of Michael Jordan coming out of retirement.

In 2000, Barkley found an arena where his strong opinions and often humorous style of expressing himself were quite welcome. He became a commentator for TNT's Inside the NBA, working with co-analyst Kenny Smith and host Ernie Johnson. In his opinion, the job required little more than being himself. "Prepare for my work? … Hell, I played sixteen years. I can tell you who can play and who can't," he remarked in Time. His contributions helped make the program one of the most highly regarded studio sport shows and earned him a contract extension in 2002 that was reported to be worth 1.5 million per year.

Barkley for Governor

Barkley's new contract also gives him a spot on CNN's Talkback Live, where he comments on current news issues during the NBA season. The assignment reflects Barkley's strong interest in social and political issues. He said in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he would not represent a Republican or Democratic viewpoint, but rather would express his own opinions. However, for several years he has talked about running for governor of Alabama as a Republican. Barkley has always been outspoken on the subjects of race and class. He hates the commonly held idea that sports are the only route to success for young blacks. In Sports Illustrated he summarized his political motivation by saying, "I want to be able to tell people that there's no difference between white folks and black folks." Barkley has criticized other black athletes, including his friends Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods , for not speaking out. He says he is different because he is willing to be ridiculed.

Barkley manages to be entertaining, maddening, and thought-provoking all at once. His super-sized persona matches both his figure and his phenomenal career in professional basketball. Standing half-a-foot shorter than many of his adversaries on the court, he became a leading rebounder. While struggling to keep his weight under 300 pounds, he nevertheless outpaced them as well. A tiny handful of players have better records in rebounding, scoring, and assists. The NBA star has explained that his accomplishments come from being willing to work hard and truly wanting to succeed. Barkley joked at his retirement from basketball, "Just what the country needs: another unemployed black man." But with his growing presence on television and political aspirations, it should be fascinating to see what Charles Barkley does next.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Turner Broadcasting System Inc., 1 CNN Ctr., Atlanta, GA, 30348. Phone: (404) 827-1700.

Career Statistics

Yr	Team	GP	PTS	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG
HOU: Houston Rockets; PHI: Philadelphia 76ers; PHO: Phoenix Suns.
1984-85	PHI	82	1148	.545	.167	.733	8.60	1.9	1.16
1985-86	PHI	80	1603	.572	.227	.685	12.80	3.9	2.16
1986-87	PHI	68	1564	.594	.202	.761	14.60	4.9	1.75
1987-88	PHI	80	2264	.587	.280	.751	11.90	3.2	1.25
1988-89	PHI	79	2037	.579	.216	.753	12.50	4.1	1.59
1989-90	PHI	79	1989	.600	.217	.749	11.50	3.9	1.87
1990-91	PHI	67	1849	.570	.284	.722	10.10	4.2	1.64
1991-92	PHI	75	1730	.552	.234	.695	11.10	4.1	1.81
1992-93	PHO	76	1944	.520	.305	.765	12.20	5.1	1.57
1993-94	PHO	65	1402	.495	.270	.704	11.20	4.6	1.55
1994-95	PHO	68	1561	.486	.338	.748	11.10	4.1	1.62
1995-96	PHO	71	1649	.500	.280	.777	11.60	3.7	1.61
1996-97	HOU	53	1016	.484	.283	.694	13.50	4.7	1.30
1997-98	HOU	68	1036	.485	.214	.746	11.70	3.2	1.04
1998-99	HOU	42	676	.478	.160	.719	12.30	4.6	1.02
1999-00	HOU	20	289	.477	.231	.645	10.50	3.2	.70
TOTAL		1073	23757	.541	.266	.735	11.7	3.9	1.54

SELECTED WRITINGS BY BARKLEY:

(With Roy S. Johnson) Outrageous!: The Fine Life and Flagrant Good Times of Basketball's Irresistible Force, Simon & Schuster, 1992.

(With Rick Reilly) Sir Charles: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley, Warner Books, 1994.

Inside the NBA

In his new role as basketball analyst, Charles Barkley is one of the main reasons that Inside the NBA has earned rave reviews. Writing for Sports Illustrated, Jack McCallum suggested that the TNT program was so "absurdly good" that it defies analysis. The show is energized by the trash-talking exchanges of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Barkley, with a heavy reliance on the unpredictability of Barkley's wit and venom. Sometimes the humorous exchanges escalate into slapstick, such as when Barkley did weekly "Fat Trak" weigh-ins and when he lost a bet with Smith over whether Houston's Yao Ming could score nineteen points in a game. Barkley lived up to his promise to kiss Smith's ass, which turned out to be a donkey hired for the occasion. Despite the former NBA star's controversial views on subjects ranging from international players to gender roles and race, he is becoming more popular than ever as a broadcaster.

(Michael Wilson, editor) I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It: Some Things I've Learned So Far, Random, 2002.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Sports Stars, series 1-4. U•X•L, 1994-98.

Periodicals

McCallum, Jack. "Citizen Barkley." Sports Illustrated (March 11, 2002): 32.

Tyrangiel, Josh. "It's Charles in Charge." Time (November 26, 2001): 94.

Wolfley, Bob. "CNN Offers Sir Charles and the World." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (July 26, 2002): 02C.

Other

Platt, Larry. "Charles Barkley." Salon.com. http://dir.salon.com (May 30, 2000).

Sketch by Paula Pyzik Scott