Charles Barkley’s mother, Charcey Glenn, was a strong and vital figure in the NBA legend’s career as a professional player. Despite his nearly 300 lbs weight, he was selected in the 5th overall draft for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. However, the ‘Round Mound of Rebound’ faced severe bullying because of his weight, especially during his rookie years. His mother, Charcey, helped a young Barkley overcome the criticism of coach Bobby Knight. Furthermore, 76ers General Manager Pat Williams would often use fat jokes on Barkley, which did affect him mentally to an extent. Barkley would later also hear some snarky comments from Shaquille O’Neal, who was drafted almost eight years after Barkley.
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Although Charles’ weight did help him dominate the league for almost a decade, it also became a subject of jokes amongst his TNT co-stars. He recently revealed how his doctor helped him lose weight after retiring. Considering his stature and weight, Barkley now weighs 292 lbs, down from 352, which is relatively healthy enough for him.
Charles Barkley’s mother helped him in overcoming bullying due to his weight
Chuck’s mother, Charcey Glenn, was crucial to his success story. She raised him through many hurdles and obstacles, which Chuck acknowledges every time. She stood strong with him through thick and thin when supporting her son through hard times.
In a post from 2015 by WBRC, Rick Karle wrote an obituary on the passing of Charcey Glenn. She passed away in January 2015 at 73, leaving a legacy of hard work and determination. A strong lady, she stood by her son ever since his days at Auburn. In his blog post, Karle wrote how she helped her son overcome fat jokes during his time at the 76ers.
“Charcey had to listen to then Sixers GM Pat Williams utter upon Barkley’s NBA signing, ‘Charles is so fat his bathtub has stretch marks.’ Fat jokes everywhere, Charcey advised her son to block them all out ”
Later, Moses Malone also helped motivate Chuck to lose weight further. Malone helped him lose 10 pounds at a time, eventually making him lose 50 pounds and starting for the team. Barkley has always credited Malone for his incredible weight loss journey and for being able to dominate the league.
Chuck’s incredible relationship with Moses Malone helped him in his weight loss journey
In a podcast episode of The Pivot, Barkley detailed how Moses Malone inspired him in his NBA career, especially in losing weight. He said:
“He says ‘let’s lose 10 more’. 280, 270, 260, 250. I got to 240, but I had no strength and energy… I got down to 250. He says ‘250 is your weight’. And at this point I’m starting. And I tell people, if he had told me in the beginning ‘let’s lose 50 pounds’, that probably would have been overwhelming. But he said ‘let’s lose 10 pounds’. Then, like I said, once I got to 250, I was just killing people and the rest is history.”
Barkley recently revealed how his doctor helped him reduce almost 62 pounds. He mentioned the drug Mounjaro, which helped him go down from 352 lbs to 290 lbs. Chuck’s weight loss journey is truly an inspiration for people never to give up and to overcome their worst insecurities in the best possible manner.
