"No matter how much money you make and all that other stuff, the most important thing is always got to be the game" - Charles Barkley wants young NBA stars to preserve the game
Fresh off attending the 2022 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony, Charles Barkley wants the NBA's young stars to preserve the game. Barkley does not like the current style of play in the league but encourages the players to continue honoring the game of basketball.
In an interview with David McKinzie III of Reveal Suits, the Hall of Fame forward was asked about the future of the NBA. Barkley is unhappy with the amount of 3-point shots being chucked every game. However, he knows the league is in good hands if they put it ahead of everything.
"I'm not totally happy with the style of play where they just shoot threes all game," Barkley said. "If they go in, they win or not. There's other strategies to basketball, but we got so many great players in the NBA. Our future is bright. Maybe I'm old guy 'get off my lawn,' but we got so many young players in the league."
"There's always gonna be great players. We just got to make sure that the game is always the most important thing. No matter how much money you make and all that other stuff, the most important thing is always got to be the game."
Charles Barkley was in Springfield a couple of weeks ago to attend the enshrinement ceremony of the new members of the Hall of Fame. Barkley also presented a couple of new Hall of Famers – Lindsay Whalen and Theresa Shank-Grentz.
Barkley is a two-time Hall of Fame inductee. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 2006. He's a former MVP, 11-time All-Star and one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. He was inducted as part of the "Dream Team" in 2010.
Charles Barkley's career retrospective
Charles Barkley was the fifth overall pick of the 1984 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Barkley played eight seasons in Philly, earning six All-Star appearances, four All-NBA First Team selections and three All-NBA Second Team selections. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 1992.
In his first season in Phoenix, Barkley won the MVP and led the Suns to the NBA Finals. The Suns lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. Barkley played four years in Phoenix before getting traded to the Houston Rockets.
Injuries plagued Barkley's tenure with Houston. He never played more than 68 games in a season during his time there. In addition to winning an MVP during Jordan's reign in the NBA, Barkley also won two Olympic gold medals for Team USA in 1992 and 1996.
After retiring in 2000, Barkley became an analyst for TNT. He has won four Sports Emmy Awards as one of the hosts of "Inside the NBA." He's still with the show alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal.