Charles Barkley has had quite the weight on his shoulders ever since he was a teenager. Not having grown up in an affluent environment, Chuck was conditioned into becoming the man of the house from very early on. Having had to deal with the stresses of an adult from the ripe age of 16, he spoke recently on adopting a ‘rock hard’ interior.
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“I have been accused of being unemotional at times. I have been the leader of my family since I was 16. I never want to get emotional and panic. Because, if I do that then everybody else is going to follow.”
Barkley’s rise as an NBA superstar helped him cater to his family’s financial needs. Earning millions of dollars a year for the past 4 decades, Chuck has done an excellent job at making sure his family is well taken care of and never has to worry about returning to the conditions they were in during his own childhood.
One downside of this however, is the aforementioned quote from Barkley. It seems as though the Suns legend has never truly gotten a chance to emote and let go of his emotions to his loved ones out of fear of them seeing him be vulnerable.
“Probably, it’s one of my biggest faults, I will admit that,” admitted Sir Charles. He recognizes that this isn’t healthy but continues to preach his methods, saying things can always go awry but it’s how you respond to these situations that matters most.
Charles was unaffected by the passing of his stepfather
A perfect example of Charles Barkley being more analytical than emotional is when he admitted he felt nothing following the death of his stepfather. During a recent appearance on Tim Green’s podcast, he explained why.
“I hated him, he was an awful person. I didn’t shed a tear when he died. He didn’t treat my mom great, he didn’t treat us great. My mom was a great lady but she had horrible choices in men.”
While Chuck doesn’t showcase feelings of sorrow to the general public, he’s never been afraid to shine light on just how much he loves his family. He’s expressed his love for his mother and grandmother on countless occasions over the years, recently saying, “My mother and grandmother were incredible.”
Under the ‘rough’ exterior that Barkley has put up, his softer side certainly has been put on display a handful full of times. He may claim to be unemotional but he’s been teetering the line between that and vulnerability quite effectively over the years.
