Charles Barkley was probably one of the biggest anomalies of basketball as a small and overweight but still dominant power forward. But surely he was one of the most charismatic and funny people ever to enter a NBA hall. Nevertheless, a flaw is still liable to him to this day, his 54th birthday. Birthday, an.
“I’m exactly what America needs. Another unemployed black man:” The commentary after the injury that ended his career fits Charles Barkley like a fist to the eye,”Chuck Wagon” always said exactly what he thought – and didn’t care at all if it suited people or not.”Will I go to heaven? This is gonna be a very close call.”
Throughout his career, the Power Forward was a polarizing figure. On the one hand, Barkley was a player who thrilled the fans with blocks and dunks thanks to his athletics, although he was regularly at least half a head smaller than his opponent and overweight. On the other hand, he was a bon vivant who enjoyed eating, celebrating and drinking a lot, and who, especially in his early years, was a great devourer of the boulevard.
There was the ominous “spitting incident”: Barkley was permanently insulted by a fan and spat in his direction, but met a little girl. For the newspaper a found food, although Barkley apologized quickly and is still friends with his “victim”. He fought with the legendary “Bad Boy” pistons and fought with Shaquille O’ Neal.
Barkley never wanted to be a role model:”If I didn’t earn $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people would change sides of the street at my sight,”he once said. It was all the more fun for the “Round Mound of Rebound”to keep his critics quiet with his game.
After three years at college in Auburn, Barkley joins the Philadelphia 76ers as fifth pick in the legendary 1984 draft. They’ve been working with Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone are two former MVPs in the squad and belong to the absolute elite in the east. Already in Barkley’s first year, the sixers will go into the East Final, where they failed against the incumbent NBA champ from Boston. He has already established himself as a veritable third option.
As a rookie, Barkley played 14 points and 8.6 rebounds alongside the two altstars, and in the second year he increased his yield to 20 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. After a play-off out in the second round, however, the Sixers traded Moses Malone and disbanded one of the best rebound combinations in the league’s history. A year later, Dr. also leaves the company. J the team and goes into well-deserved retirement.
“Sir Charles” is the team’s unqualified star since 1987. The versatility of the 1.98m Forward is particularly impressive. Perhaps his greatest strength is to get a defensive rebound and start right away to push the ball through the ring with all his might. In this respect, Barkley is a kind of predecessor of LeBron James, just a head smaller and with a light beer belly. It is seldom that someone tries to take an offensive foul against this steam locomotive. On the contrary, his opponents regularly come under cover in an awesome manner…
Bill Walton compares it to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson back then:”Barkley is like Magic and Larry in the sense that they all don’t really play a position. He plays everything; he plays basketball. There’s no one doing what Barkley does. He’s a dominant rebounder, a dominant defender, a three-gunner, a dribbler, a playmaker.”
Despite all his individual brilliance and his first All-NBA First Team nomination, Barkley can’t lead the Sixers into the playoffs without help. In the next few years he will try everything possible, and in 1990 he will even finish second in the MVP election, but Philly will not be able to go any further than in the second round. The lack of success keeps the frustration growing until Barkley finally demands – and gets – a trade after the 91/92 season. However, before the Phoenix Suns are due to be relaunched, the Olympic Games will take place.
Page 1: Bookmaker and Young Sky Striker
Page 2: Star of the Dream Team, peak in Phoenix and a flaw