“Charles Barkley Can Do Anything and Get Away With It”: When a Dream Team Game Changed Chuck’s Public Image Forever

Charles Barkley is known for his antics today on Inside the NBA, but the Hall of Fame forward was also known to cause trouble throughout his playing career, as well. That includes on the international stage, as Barkley pulled out a physical blow during the 1992 Olympics in a match against Angola.

Marv Albert and Mike Fratello were already concerned about the possibility of Barkley causing an international incident, but when Chuck sent an elbow into Angola’s Herlander Coimbra, the incident immediately became the talk of the first game. The hit received plenty of coverage, but Barkley downplayed the strike and brushed it off as “a figment of the American media’s imagination.” 

When asked if the physical hit was his way of keeping in the spirit of the Olympics, Chuck compared the strike to an incident on the playground.

“[Barkley’s] answer was it would be almost disrespectful to them if [the USA] didn’t play at the level that they expected,” Bob Costas said, according to Barkley by Timothy Bella. The 1993 MVP knew that other basketball players from around the world were fans of the United States’ “Dream Team”, so Barkley and the rest of the team couldn’t disappoint on the hardwood.

Chuck was right, as the USA blasted Angola, 116-48, but the opponents were more concerned with getting photos next to himself, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird.

Even with the harsh blow he received from Barkley, Coimbra couldn’t resist getting a photo with the Philadelphia 76ers star. The pair even developed a bond following the incident, as Coimbra became a big deal in Angola, thanks to Barkley. Despite the abrasive strike that Chuck dealt for the world to see, he didn’t receive any punishment and remained revered by his peers.

“Charles had already come to the conclusion that no matter what he did, his image was going to remain intact. He would no longer let the judgment and criticism get to him,” the biography continued.

Barkley was never forced to change who he was during his legendary NBA career, and the same has applied to his post-playing endeavors, as well.

Charles Barkley is known for his unfiltered personality

Charles Barkley has been retired from the league for over 20 years now, but the 11-time All-Star has been able to establish himself as a household name in sports media ever since. Chuck joined the Inside the NBA crew in 2000, a role he still retains today because of his effortless humor and fun-loving personality.

Barkley has been known to get away with some wild antics during his tenure as an analyst. The 61-year-old has been both an instigator and a victim of countless pranks on set and also tends to have the most off-the-wall opinions of the show’s four hosts.

Still, Charles Barkley is able to get away with even his most egregious pranks and takes, just as he was able to get away with his on-court antics throughout his playing career.