“The late, great Paul Westphal butchered my name and called me ‘Chuck’”: Charles Barkley reveals the origin behind his now iconic nickname

Charles Barkley says that the origin behind his ‘Chuck’ nickname is centered around Paul Westphal ‘butchering’ his actual name. 

Paul Westphal has had a storied history with the Phoenix Suns. The mid to late 1970s saw him round out the rotation for the Suns and then were witness to him coaching Charles Barkley and company from 1992-1995 in Arizona. 

 During their time together, the made several visits to the postseason, with them even taking the Chicago Bulls to 6 games in the 1993 NBA Finals. That same year saw Barkley win his first and only regular season MVP under the guidance of Westphal.

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The Hall of Fame coach would eventually pass away after a strong battle against cancer at the age of 70 in early January of 2021. This led to Charles Barkley opening up about his relationship with Westphal. 

He would also go on to give fans the origin of his nickname ‘Chuck’ both on NBAonTNT and on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ a couple days ago as it is quite the funny anecdote involving Paul. 

Charles Barkley and how he got the name ‘Chuck’. 

‘Chuck’, for those not in the know, is not a traditional short-form for the name ‘Charles’. Yet, almost all of America knows Charles Barkley as ‘Chuck’ and it’s been unclear as to why this has been the case for as long as it has. Well, now, fans get an insight into why this is the case.

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While on the Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL star asks the Suns legend if he can continue calling him ‘Chuck’ as they aren’t acquainted on a personal level. Barkley assures Pat that this is completely fine and reveals why: 

“Ay listen, once the late, great Paul Westphal started butchering my name and calling me ‘Chuck’; no most of America calls me ‘Chuck’ so it’s always good,” said Charles Barkley.