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Let's give it up for arguably the greatest NBA nickname of all time. Charles "The Round Mound of Rebound" Barkley everybody! He's notorious for having a big mouth and never winning a ring despite having a Hall of Fame career. He's in the Hall because he was an under-sized ball of power who play even more ferocious than he talked!
He was such a mind-blowing player to watch because he was a big dude who had no business moving around the court as quick as he did. You would see him running faster than anyone besides him straight down the middle of the floor in transition en route to slamming it home with two hands. At only 6'6, he was the normal height for a small forward, but he could rebound and post up way better than almost all of the other Power Forwards or Centers who were towering over him. People liked seeing him win because here was this guy who looks horizontally and vertically unfit to play the game and especially his position, yet he dominated opponents so bad it was unbelievable. You can't help but root for an underdog fighting the odds.
The young Mound grew up in Leeds, Alabama which is not far from Birmingham. He played high school basketball at Leeds High School but he didn't even make the varsity team his junior year. Back then he was only 5'10, but an incredible summer growth spurt shot him up to 6'4. He easily made the team his senior year and averaged 19 points and almost 18 rebounds a game! Those rebound numbers were indicative of how deadly a rebounder he would become in the pro game. His performance caught the eye of the assistant of Auburn head coach Sonny Smith, who recalls being entranced at "A fat guy, who can play like the wind."
Funnily enough, Charles admits that he was offered money in his college playing days and he took it to survive when he was on his own. He was given money by an agent but now he remarks on it being chump change. Still, Chuck was a dynamic player who led the Auburn Tigers to victories and could raise the roof with his hype blocks and seismic dunks. He was still an effective player despite his ongoing struggle with his weight issues. It really was remarkable that he could dominate like he did in college and the NBA while being shorter and wider than everyone at his position.
He was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers at #5 in 1984 which is often hailed as the greatest draft class of all time. He was taken in the first round with all-time greats Hakeem Olajuwon (#1), Michael Jordan (#3), and John Stockton (#16). Chuck was lucky to land on a team that fielded Hall of Famers Dr. J, Moses Malone (his big man mentor) and crucial role player Maurice Cheeks. You couldn't have scripted it any better for him to land with one of the best rebounders of all time in Moses Malone. Chuck was under his tutelage until Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets in the 1986-7 year.
Sir Charles put up some impressive scoring and rebounding numbers his first and second year (14 pts/8.6 rebs & 20 pts/12.8 rebs), but the Sixers had to square up against the Larry Bird Boston Celtics and the Michael Jordan Bulls in the playoffs. Barkley stepped up in a leadership role after Moses left and he bullied his way to the league rebounding title while averaging 14.6 boards per game. The year after that, Dr. J retired and the team was his! He had one of his best showings on the stat sheet in the 1987-88 season averaging 28.3 pts and 11.9 rebounds per game while shooting .587 from the floor. In spite of Barkley's personal glory, the team didn't earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time in more than 10 years. The year after that they were even swept by the Knicks in only the first round. If we were to make a modern comparison, he was kind of looking like Carmelo Anthony when he was on the Knicks. Everybody knew he could ball, but his team didn't succeed and it looked like he'd never make an NBA Finals appearance if nothing changed.
After 8 years in Philly, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns where he achieved his greatest team success. He won the league MVP award in the 1992-93 season and took the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals that eluded him. Unfortunately, he ran into peak Michael Jordan and couldn't overcome him despite leaving his heart and soul out on the hardwood. The man averaged 27.3 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the NBA's final round, including a Game 4 triple-double (32 pts, 12 rebs, 10 assists). Michael was pissed they didn't give him the MVP that he thought he deserved, so he took it out on Chuck and company when it mattered most.
He ended his career on the Houston Rockets which was an injury-plagued affair. He's still a household name today in the States thanks to his work as a game analyst alongside Ernie, Kenny, and Shaq on TNT. NBA fans appreciate the fact that there's never a dull moment with Chuck and he always keeps it real. He never liked being shouldered with the responsibility of being a role model due to his superstar status, because he believed parents should teach their kids how to act not strangers on television. Regarding his controversial nature, he famously remarked, "I don't create controversies. They're long there before I open my mouth, I just bring them to your attention."
Remember this tank.. he could coast to coast pretty quick. His head was always so fat haha.. great article bro.
tahahahaha he's still got a fat ol head. Yea dude I love that coast to coast shit, kinda why I love Julius Randle so much.
Good post. I loved reading it . 👍
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed!
excellent...he was one of my all-time fave's...6'4.5 inches..(not 6-6!) very smart player. used that wide body the best! loved Karl Malone as well..same era.
You're right I actually read that afterwards. That makes his rebounding numbers even more ridiculous! A lot of nba players exaggerate their height.
Great post! Sir Charles is a legend on the plains and it's nice to see him finally on the blockchain. War Eagle!
Gotta give the legends their due! An Auburn icon