Charles Barkley: From Auburn Standout to NBA Legend

Charles Wade Barkley, born on February 20, 1963, is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles," "the Chuckster," and "the Round Mound of Rebound," Barkley played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is now a television analyst on TNT Sports and CBS Sports. Before his storied NBA career, Barkley made his mark as a standout player for the Auburn Tigers.

Early Life and High School Career

Barkley was born in Leeds, Alabama, and grew up there. He was the first black baby born at a segregated, all-white town hospital and was in the first group of black students at his elementary school. His parents divorced when he was young after his father abandoned the family, which included younger brother Darryl Barkley. His mother remarried and they had a son, John Glenn. Another brother, Rennie, died in infancy.

Barkley attended Leeds High School. As a junior, he stood 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and weighed 220 pounds (100 kg). He failed to make the varsity team and was named as a reserve. However, during the summer Barkley grew to 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and earned a starting position on the varsity as a senior. 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 semi-finals.

Despite his improvement, Barkley received no attention from college scouts until the state high school semi-finals, where he scored 26 points against Alabama's most highly recruited player, Bobby Lee Hurt. An assistant to Auburn University's head coach, Sonny Smith, was at the game and reported seeing, "a fat guy…

College Career at Auburn University

Barkley played collegiate basketball for the Auburn Tigers for three seasons. Despite struggling to control his weight, he excelled as a player and led the SEC in rebounding each year. 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.

Read also: Remembering Charles Thurman

During his college career, Barkley played center, 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. In Barkley's three-year college career, he averaged 14.1 points on 62.6% field goal shooting, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. In 1984, he led the Tigers to their first NCAA tournament in school history and finished with 23 points on 80% field goal shooting, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Auburn retired Barkley's No.

Barkley averaged double figures in each of his three seasons at Auburn, most notably a career-best 15.1 points per game as a junior in the 1983-84 season. Auburn went 49-38 in three seasons with Charles Barkley.

Quotes About Barkley's College Play

Auburn coach Sonny Smith: "He probably has the potential to grow more. A lot of people want us to have his wrists X-rayed to see if he is still growing. There are a lot of people who think he could grow to be 6-foot-9. Smith: "Barkley has the ability to dominate the game at times. I've heard he's done that in some of the preseason games. Smith after a 60-59 win over Stetson: "We were down by three with less than a minute to go and I guess we might have been a little shaken… everybody except Barkley, anyway. He was so confident it was funny. He never stopped talking, even when I was trying to say something … He kept jabbering about how we could beat anybody we wanted to - Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame, anybody. He picked some winners to compare us to, but I think we all started to believe him after a while. Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall: "He's deceiving in his looks. At 6-foot-7 and 260 or 270, you don't expect that much to get that high off the floor so quick. When he gets that body in front of you, you're lost. Down there last season Barkley intimidated us defensively. Georgia's Terry Fair: "He's the best around the basket. Georgia coach Hugh Durham: "Barkley is an inside player. It's hard to miss a shot from a half-inch. LSU coach Dale Brown: "He just decided to take charge and wipe us out.

Olympic Trials

Barkley participated in the trials for the Olympic team coached by Bob Knight. Barkley made the initial cut in April to the final 20, but was one of four released in May (with John Stockton, Terry Porter, and Maurice Martin) in the penultimate cut to 16 players.

Leaving Auburn for the NBA

In 2010, Barkley admitted that he asked for and had been given, money from sports agents during his career at Auburn. Barkley left before his final year at Auburn and made himself eligible for the 1984 NBA draft.

Read also: Career Paths at Charles Sturt

NBA Career

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 had taken Philadelphia to the 1983 NBA championship.

Philadelphia 76ers (1984-1992)

During his second year, Barkley improved his game under the leadership of Moses Malone during the off-season with his workouts, in the process he became the team's leading rebounder and number two scorer, averaging 20.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. 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. Despite his efforts, Philadelphia was defeated 4-3 by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Before the 1986-87 season, Moses Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets and Barkley began to assume control as the team leader. On November 4, 1986, Barkley recorded 34 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 14 assists in a 125-121 loss to the Indiana Pacers. On March 20, 1987, Barkley recorded 26 points, 25 rebounds (including a career-high-tying 16 offensive rebounds), and nine assists in a 116-106 win over the Denver Nuggets. He earned his first and only rebounding title, averaging 14.6 rebounds per game, and also led the league in offensive rebounds with 5.7 per game. He averaged 23.0 points on .594 shooting, earning his first trip to an NBA All-Star game and All-NBA Second Team honors for the second straight season.

The next season, Julius Erving announced his retirement and Barkley became the Sixers' franchise player. On November 30, 1988, Barkley recorded 41 points, 22 rebounds, five assists, and six steals in a 114-106 win over the Blazers. 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. He appeared in his second All-Star Game and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career.

During the 1989-90 season, despite receiving more first-place votes, Barkley finished second in MVP voting behind the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson. He was named Player of the Year by The Sporting News and Basketball Weekly. He averaged 25.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and a career-high .600 shooting. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive year and earned his fourth All-Star selection. He helped Philadelphia win 53 regular-season games, only to lose to the Chicago Bulls in a five-game Eastern Conference Semi-finals series. Barkley averaged 24.7 points and 15.5 rebounds in another postseason loss.

His exceptional play continued into his seventh season, where he averaged 27.6 points on .570 shooting and 10.1 rebounds per game. 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. 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. That year, when the New York Times asked the San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson if he would choose Barkley or Jordan for his side in a hypothetical pickup game, Robinson said, "I would pick Barkley.

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, who had announced prior to the start of the season that he was HIV-positive. Although the 76ers had initially retired the number 32 in honor of Billy Cunningham, it was unretired, with Cunningham's approval, for Barkley to wear. After Johnson's announcement, Barkley apologized for having made light of his condition. Responding to concerns that players may contract HIV by contact with Johnson, Barkley expressed his opinion, "We're just playing basketball. In his final season with the Sixers, averaging 23.1 points on .552 shooting and 11.1 rebounds per game, Barkley earned his sixth straight All-Star appearance and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, his seventh straight appearance on either the first or second team. He ended his 76ers career ranked fourth in team history in total points (14,184), third in scoring average (23.3 ppg), third in rebounds (7,079), eighth in assists (2,276) and second in field-goal percentage (.576). He led Philadelphia in rebounding and field-goal percentage for seven consecutive seasons and in scoring for six straight years. However, Barkley was said to have demanded a trade out of Philadelphia after the Sixers failed to make the postseason with a 35-47 record. That was later refuted by Charles Barkley himself, who said that he had not demanded a trade, but was not happy and wanted out.

During Barkley's eight seasons in Philadelphia, he became a household name and was one of the few NBA players to have an action figure produced by Kenner's Starting Lineup toy line. He also had his own signature shoe line with Nike. After retirement, Barkley was later quoted saying in regard to his career, "I was fairly controversial, I guess, but I regret only one thing-the spitting incident. But you know what? It taught me a valuable lesson. It taught me that I was getting way too intense during the game. It let me know I wanted to win way too bad. I had to calm down. I wanted to win at all costs.

Phoenix Suns (1992-1996)

The trade to Phoenix in the 1992-93 season went well for both Barkley and the Suns. Suns player Negele Knight already wore No. 32, so Barkley reverted his jersey number back to 34. In his first game with the Suns, Barkley almost recorded a triple-double, racking up 37 points, 21 rebounds (12 of them offensive), and 8 assists in a 111-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 25.6 points on .520 shooting, 12.2 rebounds and a career-high 5.1 assists per game, leading the Suns to an NBA-best 62-20 record. For his efforts, Barkley won the league's Most Valuable Player Award, and was selected to play in his seventh straight All-Star Game.

As a result of severe back pains, Barkley began to speculate that the 1993-94 season would be his last in Phoenix. Despite the back pain, he started the season by winning the 1993 McDonald's Open in Germany and being named the tournaments MVP. In the NBA, Barkley managed 21.6 points on .495 shooting and 11.2 rebounds per game. He was selected to his eighth consecutive All-Star Game, but did not play because of a torn right quadriceps tendon, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. With Barkley fighting injuries, the Suns still managed a 56-26 record and made it to the Western Conference Semifinals. Despite holding a 2-0 lead in the series, the Suns lost in seven games to the eventual champions, the Houston Rockets, who were led by Hakeem Olajuwon. Despite his injuries, in Game 3 of a first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, Barkley hit 23 of 31 field-goal attempts and finished with 56 points, the then-third-highest total ever in a playoff game.

After contemplating retirement in the off-season, Barkley returned for his eleventh season and continued to battle injuries. He struggled during the first half of the season, but gradually managed to improve, earning his ninth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Game. The 1995-96 season was Barkley's last with the Phoenix Suns.

Houston Rockets (1996-2000)

The trade to the Houston Rockets in the 1996-97 season was Barkley's last chance at capturing an NBA championship title. He joined a veteran team that included two of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. To begin the season, Barkley was suspended for the season opener and fined $5,000 for fighting Charles Oakley during an October 25, 1996 preseason game. After Oakley committed a flagrant foul on Barkley, Barkley responded by shoving Oakley. In his first game with the Houston Rockets, Barkley had a career-high 33 rebounds. He continued to battle injuries throughout the season and played only 53 games, missing 14 because of a laceration and bruise on his left pelvis, 11 because of a sprained right ankle, and four due to suspensions. He became the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points on .484 shooting; the first time since his rookie year that he averaged below 20 points per game.

The 1997-98 season was another injury-plagued year for Barkley. He averaged 15.2 points on .485 shooting and 11.7 rebounds per game. The Rockets ended the season with a 41-41 record and were eliminated in five games by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.

The 1999-2000 season was Barkley's final year in the NBA. Initially, Barkley averaged 14.5 points on .477 shooting and 10.5 rebounds per game. Along with Shaquille O'Neal, Barkley was ejected from a November 10, 1999 game against the Los Angeles Lakers. After O'Neal blocked a layup by Barkley, O'Neal shoved Barkley, who then threw the ball at O'Neal. Barkley's season and career seemingly ended prematurely at the age of 36 after rupturing his left quadriceps tendon on December 8, 1999, in Philadelphia, where his career began. Refusing to allow his injury to be the last image of his career, Barkley returned after four months for one final game. On April 19, 2000, in a home game against the Vancouver Grizzlies, Barkley scored a memorable basket on an offensive rebound and putback, a common trademark during his career. He accomplished what he set out to do after being activated from the injur…

Legacy

Though shorter than the typical power forward, he used his strength and aggression to become one of the NBA's best rebounders and scorers. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star, 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and the 1993 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Barkley is the 23rd all-time scorer in the NBA; he ranks 19th in all-time rebounds per game, 18th in total career rebounds and is one of only five players in NBA history with 23,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. The self-proclaimed “ninth wonder of the world” is the shortest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding.

Barkley was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Broadcasting Career

Charles has been a member of Turner Sports’ NBA broadcast team since 2000, as part of the Emmy-winning “Inside the NBA” studio show. In 2011, his duties expanded to include broadcasting the NCAA’s March Madness college basketball tournament, in partnership with Turner and CBS. He’s been nominated for four Sports Emmys and has won the last two, in 2012 and 2013.

Author

Charles has written four books: “Outrageous!” (Simon & Schuster 1992), “Sir Charles: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley” (Warner Books 1996), “I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It” (Random House 2002), and “Who’s Afraid of A Large Black Man?” (Penguin Press 2005).

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