Charles Barkley is indeed an anomaly in the world of sports media. Unlike his peers, Chuck is publicly known for his lack of knowledge surrounding the game of basketball, with trades and statistics being his weakest areas. Recently, the Round Mound of Rebound sat down with his colleague Ernie Johnson to play a few rounds of basketball trivia during a segment of ‘Inside the NBA’. Initially, Barkley appeared confident, as he claimed “I am not just a pretty face, I know sports”. However, it did not end well for him.
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The two hosts played a new trivia game by Bleacher Report called “Streaks”, where a single incorrect answer from Barkley could send the Sun’s legend back to the analyst table. To make things easy for him, Johnson decided to quiz Chuckster on his own NBA career. Presenting the first question, Ernie asked his colleague,
“How many games did you play in Cliedus?”
Barkley instantly picked his answer, choosing his total career games to be 976. Unfortunately, Johnson revealed the game to be over. Chuck once again chose the wrong answer, leaving everyone shocked as the former Philadelphia forward stayed put in his chair.
But what shocked the world even more was that Barkley’s seeming inability to remember numbers and stats seems to be only limited to basketball. In fact, during the same broadcast, Barkley perfectly recalled his lines from a 30-year-old Gillette commercial, leaving everyone scratching their heads.
The American company had hired Barkley to promote their “Just Right” antiperspirant deodorant. The ad, released in 1994, definitely seems to have had a lasting impact on Barkley as the TNT analyst remembers the lines flawlessly even three decades later. However, when it comes to basketball, he has failed to remember crucial things on multiple occasions.
Charles Barkley is ‘Trivia’ challenged
The fact that Barkley is a ‘sorry’ trivia player has been a running joke on ‘Inside The NBA’ for some time now. The show even has an annual segment based on quizzing Barkley, called “Who he plays for “. The game revolves around him guessing which franchise a given player, plays for, as the TNT crew kicked the 2023-24 season off with the trivia game.
To no one’s surprise, Barkley didn’t start great, as Sir Charles staffed Richaun Holmes on the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson quickly pointed out that Holmes was actually a part of the Dallas Mavericks, having since moved on from the team. Next on the lot was Joe Ingles of the Orlando Magic. Barkley proceeded to fumble the bag once again, as the 76ers legend assigned the former Bucks player to the Utah Jazz.
By the time the segment was done Barkley only managed to get a single answer correct, sending Lonnie Walker IV to his rightful home, the Brooklyn Nets. Having already signed a 10-year deal with TNT, it’s clear that the network and its viewers seem to deeply enjoy Barkley’s antics on the show. Thus, he will always have a place at the TNT table, even if his knowledge about the league and its players is “sub-par”.
