Charles Barkley is a treasure that needs to be protected at all costs.
Former league MVP, Charles Barkley, is one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA. Barkley‘s incredible motor and basketball ability along with his penchant for entertainment made him an instant hit.
Post-retirement, the Chuckster made a transition into the media world which was as smooth as any. Chuck lit up TNT’s coverage of the NBA and widened his fan base alongside.
Barkley the pundit with his hot takes and roasts is definitely a more liked man than Barkley the player ever was.
However, Barkley the player did give us some hints of what to expect. During his time with the Suns, the Chuckster was quizzed post-game regarding his involvement in a fight. The person who he fought, should be no surprise considering the landscape of basketball at the time: Bill Laimbeer.
The Detroit Pistons Center was the glue that held the “Bad Boy” Pistons together. And this often got Laimbeer in the center of brawls, along with some punches in his direction. And one such infamous punch was handed to Laimbeer by none other than The Chuckster.
What did Charles Barkley have to say about punching Bill Laimbeer?
In a post-game interview at Laimbeer’s own Detroit, Charles Barkley was asked about his incident with the Pistons’ Center.
Gleefully, Chuckster retorts claiming that it was fun to punch his fellow big man. This, despite the $20k odd fine that was paid by Barkley for the punch.
While it is almost always just the jest you see on TV, The Chuckster made himself quite the rep in his heydays too. This included the occasional brawl, and this was merely one more addition to the list of Chuck stories that stuck.
Considering the relationship of the Bad Boys with the league, Barkley may not have been the only one who had fun with his punch.
