“The Prospect of Making Money”: Motivated by Muhammad Ali’s Advice, Charles Barkley Vowed to Change His Perception During 1984 Olympics Trial

The United States men’s basketball team has arguably been the most dominant national team in the sport. From reigning over the FIBA World Cups to the Olympic tournaments, the USMNT outshined every other country in the international space. One of the most decorated stars of this national team was Charles Barkley, who helped the team win gold in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

In 1984, the USMNT held trials to select the team for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics, of which Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks legends Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing were also a part. However, the then national team coach, Bob Knight, also had Charles Barkley considered a prime option for making it to the team. It was Knight’s opportunity to get back at the Russians, who were the Americans’ staunch competitors then.

Charles Barkley had earned a very nasty reputation due to his 284 lbs weight, which can now be comparable to current New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson. Despite being an exceptional player from his class, Barkley was asked to reduce his weight to at least 215 lbs to make it to the national team.

However, Coach Knight soon changed his mind, realizing that asking Barkley to reduce his weight would be like asking actress Raquel Welch to undergo plastic surgery. Given his incredible prowess, it seemed like Barkley was almost confirmed a berth in the roster. Quoting Muhammed Ali, author Timothy Bella, in his book Barkley, noted the 11x All-Star saying,

“I went to the Trials intending to change everyone’s mind about Charles Barkley. I was going to, as Muhammad Ali used to say, ‘shock the world.’ That’s what excited me most about the Olympic Trials-that, and the prospect of making money.”

Though Barkley had high ambitions to represent his nation and make some money, it was unfortunate he couldn’t get that opportunity. Like Sir Charles, other league talents such as John Stockton and Karl Malone were also left out of the 1984 Olympics squad.

Charles Barkley was eventually not chosen for the 1984 Olympic team

Despite being the second-best player to be fielded next to Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley was disappointed for not making the cut for the 1984 Olympics team. Leaving out Barkley, John Stockton, and Karl Malone, the 12 selected players were Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Wayman Tisdale, Leon Wood, Alvin Robertson, Joe Kleine, Jon Koncak, Jeff Turner, Vern Fleming, and Steve Alford.

Chuck started concluding that coach Bob Knight had a certain hidden agenda for lowballing him in this case. As revealed in Barkley’s own words, “Bobby Knight had a hidden agenda against me. Because I was the second-best player there, I kinda felt like he didn’t want me there. He didn’t want me on the team. It was a joke.”

Many sources claim that Barkley and Knight used to remain in contention due to their strong personalities. They would often never see each other eye to eye or, in the worst cases, often engage in heated arguments against each other. This was perhaps one of the main reasons behind Sir Charles’ cut from the team.