Forever an entertainer: Charles Barkley

If anybody asked an average fan who he or she would draft as the number 1 pick in his or her dream NBA team, the common answer would be Michael Jordan. However, Charles Barkley wouldn’t do it that way. He instead went public with his claim that Allen Iverson would be his first overall pick, should he assemble his dream basketball team. Many were intrigued, several dumbfounded by this man’s distinguished choice. Iverson over MJ – something must be surely different with his thinking. It is agreed that everybody is different in his or her own way. But Charles Barkley takes being different to whole new level. Be it his wayward golf swing or his NBA predictions, Sir Charles at 50 is forever a source of entertainment.

Given his candid outbursts that often highlighted him in the media, Barkley was a proven basketball player. He wagged his tongue like a mad man. But he earned every right to it in some extents. Often, he single-handedly carried his franchises on his back, grabbing rebounds, passing assists and scoring one bucket after another. If any player earned the right to be this different, be it on or off the court, it was indeed Charles Barkley.

Barkley was an exceptional force from his youth days. Born in Leeds, Alabama, he played college basketball at Auburn. The Tigers held onto Barkley for three solid years where he was absolutely a nightmare for the opponents. Despite being a meagre 6 feet 6 inches for a power forward, Barkley had no issues dunking over guys that were half a foot above him in height. His weight was an issue and many experts betted on his early exit from the physically demanding game of basketball. However, Barkley being his usual self would grab a defensive rebound, dribble down the court and slip in a two-handed dunk.

A guy who was easily 20-30 pounds overweight and six inches shorter than his position was terrorising opponents that had no idea whatsoever on how to guard him. Thanks to this, he earned his most popular nickname: “The Round Mound of Rebound”. It also earned him a ticket to the NBA Draft of 1984 where he was selected two picks after Michael Jordan in the number 5 slot by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The NBA raised further questions for Barkley. But Sir Charles knew how to answer them. “He is too fat to play.” Immediately did Barkley retort with a double-double game. “He is too short to score.” Next game saw Barkley score thirty odd points. “He will never be clutch.” Two of the greatest play-off performances have Barkley’s name written on it. The first being his 56 points game against the Golden State Warriors. Nearly 35 play-off games have seen a player score 50 or more points. In 28 of them did a player score with a field goal percentage above 50%.

Consider this: you are playing in the play-offs and you score 50 points by making 1 out of every 2 shots you take. Isn’t it an achievement there itself? Well, Barkley is different. He takes everything to a whole new level, remember? A career high 56 point performance against the Warriors saw him shoot with a whopping 75 FG %; he made 3 out of 4 shots he took in a play-off game. Never was it done before. Never has it been repeated. And it didn’t end there. Barkley was capable of such feats day in and day out. In what can be argued to be one of the greatest play-off series performances, Barkley edged the Seattle Supersonics in the 1993 Western Conference Finals – first with a 40 point triple double in Game 3 and then a 44 point, 24 rebound game in Game 5 to seal the series. Yes, all this by the same fat, plump Barkley who many thought wouldn’t last a season in the league. Too short? Barkley rather proved his immense stature on the scoreboard.

Barkley was talented but he was incredibly gifted in his head. He could dodge defenders, sneak under tall centres and shoot when the man guarding least expected him to. Very few players were as versatile as Barkley and none could compare to what he made up with his aggressiveness and tempo for the mismatch in height. When he called it quits in 2000, he averaged 22.7 PPG and 11.7 RPG. The beast on court also had nearly 4 assists a game. To come back for one final hurrah despite being put on the injured list in April of 2000, Barkley had his last basket with an offensive put back – just like a career highlight. For a man who was never destined to make it this far, Barkley proved everyone wrong. And he reminded everyone how different he was. Be it his aura that lingered around the basket or his persona that mumbled to stir controversies off the court.

Charles Barkley once remarked that sportsmen can never be considered to become role models. For once, Sir Charles was wrong. And he is only to blame for that.