Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley

Personal information
Born	(1963-02-20) February 20, 1963 Leeds, Alabama
Nationality	USA
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
College	Auburn
NBA draft	1984: 5th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career	1984–2000
Position	Power forward
Career highlights and awards
SEC Player of the Year (1984) SEC Player of the Decade (1980s) NBA MVP (1993) NBA All-Star MVP (1991) 11-time NBA All-Star All-NBA First Team (1988–'91, '93) All-NBA Second Team (1986, '87, '92, '94, '95) All-NBA Third Team (1996) All-Rookie Team (1984) Olympic gold medalist (1992, '96) One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Commonly nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the most dominating power forwards in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team five times, and All-NBA Third Team once. In 1993, he was voted 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, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

As an eleven time NBA All-Star, Barkley was known for his aggressive play and outspoken demeanor. He was popular with fans and the media, and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for each of his last thirteen seasons in the league. His tenacity and strength made him one of the most dominant rebounders in the league, despite his relative lack of height for playing the power forward position. He was one of the most versatile players, with the ability to score, rebound, assist, and defend. In 2000, he retired as one of only four players in NBA history to accumulate at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists in their career.

Since retiring as a player, Barkley has had a highly successful career as a color commentator on basketball. He currently works with Turner Network Television (TNT) as a studio analyst for their coverage of NBA games.

Early life

Barkley was born and raised in rural Leeds, Alabama, ten miles outside of Birmingham, and attended Leeds High School. As a junior, Barkley measured 5 feet 10 inches and weighed 220 pounds. Due to his lack of height, he failed to make the varsity team and was named as a reserve. However, during the summer Barkley grew to 6 feet 4 inches, 240 pounds, 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. Despite his play, Barkley did not garner any 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. 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." Barkley was then recruited by Smith, and majored in business management while attending Auburn.

College

Barkley played collegiate basketball at Auburn University for three years. Although he struggled with weight problems, sometimes weighing over 300 pounds (136 kg), he excelled as a player and led the league 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 rim-rattling two-handed dunk. His physical size and skills ultimately earned him the nickname, "The Round Mound of Rebound."

During his college career, Barkley played the center position, despite being significantly shorter than the average center. His height, frequently listed as 6 feet 6 inches, is as stated in his book, I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It, actually closer to 6 feet 4 inches. He received numerous awards, including Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year (1984), two All-SEC (1983–84) selections, two Second Team All-SEC (1982–83) selections, and one Third Team All-American selection (1984). In addition, Barkley was later named SEC Player of the Decade for the 1980s by the Birmingham Post-Herald.

In Barkley's three year college career, he averaged 14.1 points on 65.2% field goal shooting, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. 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. In honor of his career achievements, Barkley's number 34 Auburn jersey was officially retired on March 3, 2001.

NBA career

Philadelphia 76ers

After his junior year in college, 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 Moses Malone, Barkley was able to manage his ongoing weight problems, 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. In the postseason, the Sixers advanced into the Eastern Conference Finals but were defeated in five games by the Boston Celtics. As a rookie in the postseason, Barkley averaged 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

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. He became the starter for the Sixers' power forward position and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He helped lead his team into the playoffs and averaged 25.0 points on 57.8% shooting from the field and 15.8 rebounds. Despite his efforts, Philadelphia was eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, four games to three, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 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. He averaged 23.0 points on 59.4% shooting from the field, 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, for the second straight year, to the Bucks in a five-game first round playoff series.

File:Barkley 1988 SI Cover.jpg

Charles Barkley making his first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1988.

The following season, Julius Erving announced his retirement and Barkley became the Sixers' franchise player. Playing in 80 games and 300 more minutes than his nearest teammate, Barkley had his most productive season, averaging 28.3 points on 58.7% field goal 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. His singular celebrity status as the Sixers franchise player led to his first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But, for the first time since the 1974-75 season, the 76ers failed to make the playoffs. In the 1988-89 season, Barkley continued to play well, averaging 25.8 points on 57.9% shooting and 12.5 rebounds per game. He earned his third straight All-Star Game appearance and was named to the All-NBA First team for the second straight season. However, despite Barkley contributing 27.0 points on 64.4% field goal shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, the 76ers were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks.

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 both The Sporting News and Basketball Weekly. He averaged 25.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and a career high 60% field-goal percentage. 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 Semifinals 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 57% field goal 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. For his efforts, 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. 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.

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 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 flippantly stated, "We're just playing basketball. It's not like we're going out to have unprotected sex with Magic."

In his final season with the Sixers, averaging 23.1 points on 55.2% 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, after several early-round playoff defeats, and with the Sixers failing to make the postseason in the 1991-92 season with a 35–47 record, Barkley demanded a trade out of Philadelphia. On July 17, 1992, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang.

During Barkley's eight seasons in Philadelphia, he became a household name, and was one of the few NBA players to have a figure published by Kenner's Starting Lineup toy line and also had his own signature shoe line with Nike. However, his outspoken and aggressive play also caused a few scandals, notoriously a fight with Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer in 1990, an event which drew record fines, and the infamous spitting incident.

Spitting incident

In March 1991, during an overtime game in New Jersey, a courtside heckler had been yelling racial epithets throughout the game at Barkley. Upset by the heckler's remarks, Barkley turned to spit at him, but, as he later described, did not "get enough foam", missed and mistakenly spat on a young girl. Rod Thorn, the then-NBA's president of operations, suspended Barkley without pay and fined him $10,000 for spitting and using abusive language at the fan. It became a national story and Barkley was vilified for it. However, Barkley eventually developed a friendship with the girl and her family. He apologized, and among other things, provided tickets to future games.

Upon retirement, Barkley was later quoted as stating, "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. Instead of playing the game the right way and respecting the game, I only thought about winning."

Phoenix Suns

The trade to Phoenix in the 1992-93 season went well for both Barkley and the Suns. He averaged 25.6 points on 52% 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 named to his seventh straight All-Star appearance. He became the third player ever to win league MVP honors in the season immediately after being traded, established multiple career highs, and led Phoenix to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1976. Despite Barkley's proclamation to Jordan, that it was destiny for the Suns to win the title, they were defeated in six games by the Bulls. He averaged 26.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game during the postseason.

As a result of severe back pains, Barkley began to speculate his last year in Phoenix during the 1993-94 season. Playing through the worst injury problems of his career, Barkley managed 21.6 points on 49.5% 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. But despite holding a 2–0 lead in the series, the Suns lost in seven games to the eventual champion Houston Rockets. 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 offseason, Barkley returned for his eleventh season and continued to battle injuries. He struggled during the first half of the season, but managed to gradually improve, earning his ninth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Game. He averaged 23 points on 48.6% field goal shooting and 11.1 rebounds per game, while leading the Suns to a 59–23 record. In the postseason, despite having a 3–1 lead in the series, the Suns once again lost to the defending champion Rockets in seven games. Barkley averaged 25.7 points on 50% field goal shooting and 13.4 rebounds per game in the postseason, but was limited in Game 7 of the Semifinals by a leg injury.

The 1995-96 season was Barkley's last on the Phoenix Suns. He led the team in scoring, rebounds, and steals, averaging 23.3 points on 50% field goal shooting, 11.6 rebounds, and a career high 77.7% free throw shooting. He earned his tenth appearance in an All-Star Game as the top vote-getter among Western Conference players and posted his 18th career triple-double on November 22. He also became just the tenth player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in their career. In the postseason, Barkley averaged 25.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in a four-game first round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. After the Suns closed out the season with a 41–41 record and a first-round playoff loss, Barkley was traded to Houston in exchange for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown.

During his career with the Suns, Barkley excelled as a player, earning All-NBA and All-Star honors in each of his four seasons. However, the always outspoken Barkley continued to stir up controversy during the 1993 season, when he famously claimed that sports figures should not be role models.

Role model controversy

Throughout his career, Barkley had been arguing that athletes should not be considered role models. He stated, "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail, should they be role models?" In 1993, his argument prompted national news when he wrote the text for his "I am not a role model" Nike commercial. Dan Quayle, the former Vice President of the United States called it a "family-values message" for Barkley's oft-ignored call for parents and teachers to quit looking to him to "raise your kids" and instead be role models themselves.

Barkley's message sparked a great public debate about the nature of role models. He argued,

I think the media demands that athletes be role models because there's some jealousy involved. It's as if they say, this is a young black kid playing a game for a living and making all this money, so we're going to make it tough on him. And what they're really doing is telling kids to look up to someone they can't become, because not many people can be like we are. Kids can't be like Michael Jordan.

Thirteen years later, on May 23, 2006, ESPN Classic aired a "The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame..." episode on Barkley's controversial commercial. The show discussed five main reasons why they agreed with Barkley's "I am not a role model" message. The number one reason stated was, "He really wasn't a role model. Although many fans believed Barkley's candor made him one of the NBA's most lovable players, his behavior occasionally backed up his claims, like in the aforementioned 1991-92 season game where he spat on a 9-year old girl, and an incident in Orlando in which he threw a man through a window."

Houston Rockets

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. He continued to battle injuries throughout the season and played only 53 games, missing fourteen because of a laceration and bruise on his left pelvis, eleven because of a sprained right ankle, and four due to suspensions. He became the team's second leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points on 48.4% shooting; the first time since his rookie year that he averaged below 20 points per game. With Olajuwon taking most of the shots, Barkley focused primarily on rebounding, averaging 13.5 per game, the second best in his career. The Rockets ended the regular season with a 57–25 record and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they were defeated in six games by the Utah Jazz. Barkley averaged 17.9 points and 12.0 rebounds per game in another postseason loss.

The 1997-98 season was another injury plagued year for Barkley. He averaged 15.2 points on 48.5% 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. Limited by injuries, Barkley played four games and averaged career lows of 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game. During the league-lockout shortened season, Barkley played 42 regular season games and managed 16.1 points on 47.8% field goal shooting and 12.3 rebounds per game. He became the second player in NBA history, following Wilt Chamberlain, to accumulate 23,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists in their career. The Rockets concluded the shortened season with a 31–19 record and advanced to the playoffs. In his last postseason appearance, Barkley averaged 23.5 points on 52.9% field goal shooting and 13.8 rebounds per game in a first round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He concluded his postseason career averaging 22.1 points on 54.1% field goal shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

In his final year in the NBA, Barkley's season and career ended prematurely after rupturing his left quadriceps tendon on December 8, 1999 in Philadelphia, where his career began. Before the injury, Barkley averaged 14.5 points on 47.7% field goal shooting and 10.5 rebounds per game. 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 injured list, and walked off the court to a standing ovation. He stated, "I can't explain what tonight meant. I did it for me. I've won and lost a lot of games, but the last memory I had was being carried off the court. I couldn't get over the mental block of being carried off the court. It was important. psychologically to walk off the court on my own." After the basket, Barkley immediately retired and concluded his sixteen year NBA Hall of Fame career.

Olympic career

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
	1992 Barcelona	United States
	1996 Atlanta	United States

Barkley competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States men's basketball team. In 1992, international rules, which had previously prevented NBA players from playing in the Olympics were changed, allowing Barkley and fellow NBA players to compete in the Olympics for the first time. The result was the legendary Dream Team, which went 6–0 in the Olympic qualifying tournament and 8–0 against Olympic opponents. The team averaged an Olympic record 117.3 points a game and won games by an average of 43.8 points. Barkley led the team with 18.0 points on 71.1% field goal shooting and set a then-Olympic single game scoring record with 30 points in a 127–83 victory over Brazil. He also set a U.S. Men's Olympic record for highest three point field goal percentage with 87.5% and added 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game.

At the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, Barkley led the team in scoring, rebounds, and field goal percentage. He averaged 12.4 points on 81.6% field goal shooting and 6.6 rebounds per game, as the team once again compiled a perfect 8–0 record and captured gold medal honors.

Player profile

Barkley primarily played the power forward position. He was known for his unusual build as a basketball player, stockier than most small forwards, yet shorter than the league's power forwards. However, Barkley was still capable of outplaying bigger players and overpowering smaller opponents. He was fluid on the fast break, a powerful jumper, an accurate shooter, and one of the NBA's premier clutch players. He was a prolific scorer who averaged 22.1 points per game for his career, with the ability to score on the perimeter or finish inside with a powerful dunk. He scored with great efficiency and averaged 54.1% field goal accuracy for his career, including a career high 60% during the 1989-90 NBA season.

Frequently listed as 6 feet 6 inches, but measuring a shade under 6 feet 5 inches, Barkley was the shortest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding, and averaged a career high 14.6 rebounds per game during the 1986-87 season. His tenacious and aggressive play helped cement his legacy as one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, as he averaged 11.7 rebounds per game and totaled 12,546 rebounds for his career. He topped the NBA in offensive rebounding for three straight years, and was capable of controlling a defensive rebound, dribbling the length of the court, and finishing at the rim with a powerful dunk. His defensive talents were also equally impressive. He concluded his career as the second All-Time leader in steals for the power foward position, and despite being undersized, also finished among the All-Time leaders in blocked shots.

Barkley's talents were perhaps best summarized by NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton. In a SLAM magazine issue ranking NBA greats, he stated, "Barkley is like Magic [Johnson] and Larry [Bird] in that they don't really play a position. He plays everything; he plays basketball. There is nobody who does what Barkley does. He's a dominant rebounder, a dominant defensive player, a three-point shooter, a dribbler, a playmaker."

Legacy

During his sixteen year NBA career, Barkley was regarded as one of the most controversial, outspoken, and dominating players in the history of basketball. His impact on the sport went far beyond his rebounding titles, assists, scoring, and consistent play. His larger than life persona and confrontational mannerisms often led to technical fouls and fines, and sometimes gave rise to national controversy; such as when he was featured in ads that rejected pro athletes as role models and famously declared, "I am not a role model." Although his words often lead to controversy, according to Barkley his mouth never caused trouble because it always spoke the truth. He stated, "I don't create controversies. They're there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention." He was frequently fined for oncourt fights with NBA players, such as Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Laimbeer, and Charles Oakley, among others. Off the court, he was equally confrontational. He was once arrested for breaking a man's nose during a fight after a game with the Milwaukee Bucks and also for throwing a man through a plate-glass window after being struck with a glass of ice. However, despite these occurrences Barkley continued to remain popular with the fans and media. In 1993, he was approached in a bar by a woman who wanted an autograph. She then asked for more than one, but after Barkley refused to sign more, she tore the first one and threw it into Barkley's face. He reacted by pouring a beer over her head. After the incident, the media and fans immediately blamed the woman, who later admitted to being "out of line."

As a player, Barkley was a perennial All-Star who earned league MVP honors in 1993. He employed a brusing physical style of play that earned him the nicknames "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound." He was named to the All-NBA team eleven times and earned two gold medals as a member of the United States Olympic Basketball team. He led both teams in scoring and was instrumental in helping the 1992 "Dream Team" and 1996 Men's Basketball team compile a perfect 16–0 record. He retired as one of only four players in NBA history to record at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists in their career.

On March 30, 2001, his number 34 jersey was officially retired by the Philadelphia 76ers. On March 20, 2004, in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Barkley's jersey was retired by the Suns, as he joined Connie Hawkins, Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, Walter Davis, and Kevin Johnson in the "Suns Ring of Honor".

Post-basketball life

Turner Network Television (TNT)

Barkley currently works as a studio analyst for Turner Network Television (TNT). Barkley appears on the network's NBA coverage during pregame and halftime shows, in addition to special NBA events (such as the NBA slam dunk contest among others). Barkley also appears on an original program for the Network entitled Inside the NBA, which has won numerous Emmy awards and has become renowned for Barkley's blunt yet humorous analysis. Inside the NBA is a post-game show during which the crew (Barkley, Ernie Johnson Jr., and Kenny Smith) recap the NBA games that occurred during the day and also comment on NBA affairs in general.

During a broadcast of a game which Barkley was courtside with Marv Albert, Barkley poked fun of NBA official Dick Bavetta's age, to which Albert responded "I believe Dick would beat you in a footrace." In spite of this remark, Barkley challenged Bavetta to a race at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend for $50,000. The winner was to choose a charity to which the money would be donated. They raced three and a half lengths of the basketball court, and Barkley won. In the past, Bavetta has been on the receiving end of many of Barkley's puns on his old age.

Gambling

In an interview with ESPN's Trey Wingo on May 3, 2006, Barkley revealed that he has lost approximately $10 million through gambling. Barkley was already known to be a heavy gambler, but the scope of his losses was not known until the interview.

Barkley admits that he has a gambling problem, but says it is not at serious as many others because he can afford it. On a February 3, 2007 trip to Las Vegas, he claims to have won $700,000 from playing blackjack and betting on the Indianapolis Colts to defeat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Barkley also admits that he lost 2.5 million "in a six hour period" playing blackjack in 2006. He claims he is not upset about it.

Politics

Barkley spoke articulately for many years of his Republican Party affiliation and in 1995 considered running as a G.O.P. candidate for Alabama's governorship in the 1998 election. In 2006 he changed his political stance saying:

I was a Republican until they lost their minds", "The word 'conservative' means 'discriminatory,' practically. It's a form of political discrimination. What do the Republicans run on? Against gay marriage and for a war that makes no sense. A war that was based on faulty intelligence. That's all they ever talk about. That and immigration. Another discriminatory argument for political gain.

At a July 2006 meeting of the Southern Regional Conference of the National School Boards Association in Destin, Florida, Barkley lent credence to the idea of his running for Governor of Alabama:

I'm serious. I've got to get people to realize that the government is full of it. Republicans and Democrats want to argue over stuff that's not important, like gay marriage or the war in Iraq or illegal immigration. ... When I run - if I run - we're going to talk about real issues like improving our schools, cleaning up our neighborhoods of drugs and crime and making Alabama a better place for all people.

In September 2006, Barkley reiterated his desire to run for Governor. "I can't run until 2014", he said.." "I have to live there for seven years, so I'm looking for a house there as we speak." And he said he is an independent, not a Democrat as previously reported. "The Republicans are full of it", Barkley said. "The Democrats are a little less full of it."

Books

In 2000, Barkley wrote the foreword for Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly's book The Life of Reilly. In it Barkley quipped, "Of all the people in sports I'd like to throw through a plate glass window, Reilly's not one of them. It's a shame though, skinny white boy looks real aerodynamic."

In 2002, Barkley released the book I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It, which included editing and commentary by close friend Michael Wilbon. In 2005, Barkley released Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?, which is a collection of interviews with leading figures in entertainment, business, sports, and government. Michael Wilbon also contributed to this book and was present at many of the interviews.

External links

• Charles Barkley: NBA.com Profile
• Charles Barkley: NBA.com Historical Biography
• Charles Barkley: Hall of Fame Profile
• Charles Barkley at IMDb