Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Five Reasons Why I Love Charles Barkley


Whether you love him to death or hate him with a passion, one thing about NBA Hall of Fame inductee Charles Barkley, is that he never fails to stay out of the spotlight for very long while provoking more emotional response from hoops fans and American citizens everywhere than any current player in the league or politician not named Barack Obama.

Heck, almost anyone that knows a thing about the former NBA great, has an opinion concerning the outspoken Emmy Award winning TNT NBA basketball analyst and sometimes political wannabe.

Years after his playing career ended in 2000, the always-controversial Barkley, has kept his name in the news, usually for some of his often-outrageous on-air or public comments.

No matter what the topic, Barkley often referred to as ‘Sir Charles’ or, the former ‘Round Mound of Rebound’ has an opinion – and doesn’t mind sharing it even if he’s not asked.

While this article will talk about all the reasons why I love Charles Barkley, a member of the NBA’s All-Interview team each of his 13 years in the league, the beefy-bodied Barkley certainly has his detractors and has had plenty of off-court and off-camera drama throughout his career to prove it.

However, this article isn’t about Barkley’s negatives, however numerous they may be, it’s about the many positives the author of the 2002 book I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It and the 2005 release Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? has brought to the world, first through his jaw-dropping athletic prowess and now, through his always-entertaining and sometimes, insightful role as a color commentator.

With that in mind, here are five reasons why I, and many others, love Charles Barkley.

Down-To-Earth
If you’ve ever met Barkley – and I have on several occasions as a young reporter in Philadelphia – and you’ll instantly fall in love with the fact that, despite being a mega-millionaire, Barkley is as genuine and down to earth as your next door neighbor, the sanitation worker or unassuming accountant.

The majority of today’s athletes and many of yesterday’s sports heroes are unapproachable jerks to put it mildly, but not Barkley. Talking to Charles, you wouldn’t know if he had $10 million dollars or $10 in his bank account and that says a lot about his genuineness if you ask me.

One-of-a-Kind Athlete
I love the fact that no player in NBA history has been able to accomplish the achievements that Barkley did playing a position that much taller players have manned before he ever laced up his sneakers in the NBA and since.

At just 6-4, Barkley overpowered, bulldozed, finessed and flat-out scared opponents into submitting to his unbreakable will.

I can damn-near guarantee that basketball fans worldwide will never, ever see another physical specimen like Charles Barkley dominate the game at the position he did – with ease I might add.

Insatiable Desire
Barkley’s desire is something every young player or child should aspire to have. To be totally honest about it, were it not for his insatiable desire, Barkley may have never succeeded at the power forward position the way he did for over a dozen years.

Sir Charles out-hustled many opponents for errant rebounds or and simply bullied others on his way to the hoop, never to be denied of his stated destination by some hulking behemoth or fleet-footed guard.

Sense of Humor
Some people may not think Charles is very funny and I will admit, that at times, he can be a total jackass with some of the things e says, but overall, Barkley has provided countless hours of comic relief with his funny quips and crazy comments.

Here are a few of Barkley’s best quotes.
Following an Olympic Dream Team victory over Angola in 1992, in which the U.S. won 116-48, and Barkley got into a physical altercation with a member of Angola towards the end of the game, he said, "Somebody hits me, I'm going to hit him back. Even if it does look like he hasn't eaten in a couple weeks. I thought he was going to pull a spear on me."


On former Suns teammate Oliver Miller, Barkley once said, "You can't even jump high enough to touch the rim, unless they put a Big Mac on it."


"I don't hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime."


"When I was recruited at Auburn [university], they took me to a strip joint. When I saw those titties on Buffy, I knew that Auburn met my academic requirements."

After throwing a patron through a first floor window in a bar fight, Barkley stood in front of the judge who presided over the case as the judge said, "Your sanctions are community service and a fine, do you have any regrets?"


Barkley replied, "Yeah I regret we weren't on a higher floor"

"If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she's ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he can't play a lick. Same thing."

I don’t know about you readers, but I think Barkley has been one of the most colorful and comedic athletes in American sports history.

Outspoken
I saved my best reason for why I love Charles Barkley for last – the fact that he is outspoken and will talk about important issues that others want avoid like the Bubonic Plague.

While it’s true that I don’t agree with many of the things he says, there are several other issues, some sports-related and many others that are not, that he has touched on that I agree with 100 percent.

This is where Barkley gets a lot of backlash from his critics – and understandably so. At times, Charles opens his mouth and promptly inserts his fat foot without thinking about the words that fly so freely from his mouth.

However, there are other times when he comes off as insightful and more than honest – and if I know anything about the world today, it’s that most people don’t like to hear the truth.

I fully agreed with Barkley when he once said, "I don't create controversies. They're there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention."


Back in 1993, Barkley began a national debate on role models by coming out publicly, saying, "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?"


Barkley ultimately did a national "I am not a role model" commercial for Nike which drew comments and response from ‘Joe the plumber’ to former Vice President Dan Quayle.


Barkley recently spoke about all the hoopla surrounding Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and his oft-mentioned, possible departure following the 2009-10 season two years from now.


"If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up," Barkley said in a radio interview. "I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers."


I personally find it refreshing that a famous athlete or former athlete would speak up and talk about issues that are important, not only in the sports world, but for average citizens everywhere.


Years ago, during the Civil Rights movement, many black athletes bared their respective souls and feelings on a multitude of socially-important topics and injustices, salaries de damned.


Today, all most athletes are concerned about is taking home their big, fat paychecks and to hell with society and everything outside of their rexspective mansion’s walls, which is another reason why I have come to love Charles Barkley.


Someone’s gotta’ talk about these issues – and as we all know by now, Charles Barkley will talk about anything while sparking emotions that will likely astound you.

No comments:

Post a Comment