There’s an undeniable recency bias in sports fandom, and it drives the old heads crazy. Young fans think nobody could hang with the top current players, and they often disregard the greats that came before them. We see it in some of the Michael Jordan-LeBron James GOAT arguments, but it’s a phenomenon that goes well beyond the two legends.
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Many young fans only know Charles Barkley as the face of Inside the NBA. Chuck, for them, is a television personality known more for insulting Shaquille O’Neal and interviewing players post-game than doing anything on the court himself.
Ask anybody what Barkley was known for on the court, and the most common answer would probably be that he never won a ring. If that has become Barkley’s enduring legacy as a player, it is a shame because he was a force of nature in his day.
On the Out the Mud podcast, Cuttino Mobley attempted to set the record straight on just how good Sir Charles was. He reiterated that Chuck deserves to be remembered for much more than his television career.
“To me, before Tim Duncan came in, that was the best power forward in the NBA, ever,” said Mobley. “Tim Duncan came in, of course, the Big Fundamental, he’s just ridiculous, but Charles Barkley, bro — everything he did, rebounding, assists, dominating. If there’s no Michael Jordan, then Charles Barkley wins a championship.”
Mobley pointed out that Jordan was great, but he wasn’t much for sharing titles or limelight with the biggest stars of the 1990s. “Mike messed it up for Karl Malone, John Stockton. Mike’s a party pooper, he don’t want nobody else to get none of this. He’s so stingy,” he joked.
Mobley could have rattled off even more names, from Magic Johnson and Clyde Drexler to Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. What he was trying to say was that just because MJ kept Barkley from getting a ring, it doesn’t diminish his greatness.
“Charles was phenomenal. I don’t think people really understand, especially the last 15-20 years, kids, they don’t understand how good Charles Barkley was. He was really good, especially at his size. He was insane to me, man,” said Mobley.
Out the Mud cohosts Tony Allen and Zach Randolph agreed. Allen then hilariously pointed out, “You can’t be that vocal and not have a mindset back in the day that, ‘Hey, I’m the man.'”
Duncan has certainly owned the title of the greatest power forward of all-time. But the debate between Barkley and Malone is a fun one. The Mailman wins when it comes to longevity. Malone played three more seasons than Barkley and over 400 more games because he played 80 or more in 16 of his 19 seasons.
Barkley was never in the kind of physical shape Malone was, but at his peak, he was the more explosive player. He also finished with a higher career field goal percentage and had more rebounds, assists, and steals per game.
Despite of, or maybe because of, his willingness to tell it like it is, Barkley is also much more well-liked than Malone, for whatever that’s worth. Whichever player you rank right behind Duncan, there’s no doubt that Barkley belongs near the top of the list of all-time power forwards.
