Charles Barkley Biography

Fast Facts

• Had his jersey number at Auburn University retired in 2001
• Named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1993
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Selected fifth-overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA Draft
• Began working as a studio analyst in 2000 for TNT, usually adding in-studio commentary instead of on-site play calling
• 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
• Was initially denied a place on his high school's basketball team until a summer growth spurt led to him being named a starter
• Admitted that he is a compulsive gambler and that he once lost $2․5 million in a six-hour period