Charles Barkley

Birth Name:

Charles Wade Barkley

Birth Place:

Leeds, Alabama, United States

Profession

Actor, Producer, Writer

Had his jersey number at Auburn University retired in 2001
Named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1993
Earned back-to-back gold medals as a member of the U․S․ Men's Olympic Basketball team in 1992 and 1996
Named SEC Player of the Year in 1984 and later the SEC Player of the Decade for the 1980s
Amassed 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists through his career
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006
Decided against running for governor of Alabama as a Republican
Played at Auburn University for three years and averaged 9․6 rebounds per game
Returned for one final game after rupturing a quad in late 1999, an injury which ultimately ended his career
Began working as a studio analyst in 2000 for TNT, usually adding in-studio commentary instead of on-site play calling
Selected fifth-overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA Draft
Was initially denied a place on his high school's basketball team until a summer growth spurt led to him being named a starter
Earned the nickname "The Round Mound of Rebound" in college, as he was shorter than many other players and relied on rebounding as his main basktball talent
Admitted that he is a compulsive gambler and that he once lost $2․5 million in a six-hour period

Fast Facts