Charles Barkley knows when it’s time to fool around and knows when it’s time to lock in and get serious. One conversation that Chuck is not going to joke about is racism. In fact, the NBA legend opened a recent edition of his Steam Room podcast to talk about that very issue.
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Barkley grew up in Alabama, a state that has a stained history of horrific racism, especially towards black people. Fortunately, the Hall of Famer had a wonderful mentor in his grandmother, Johnnie Mae, who was a significant figure in his life. Johnnie Mae wasn’t about to let racism ruin Charles’ life. She even once gave her grandson a terrific perspective on how not to let it affect him.
“You are going to meet some of the most incredible white people in your life and you’re going to meet some of the most full of sh** black people in your life,” said Barkley, recalling his grandmother’s words. “Judge people by who they are.” Reciting those words nearly brought a tear to Chuck’s eye, and he got serious when addressing his audience.
“Y’all ain’t ever gonna win being a racist. I ain’t ever gonna have that in my soul or in my heart,” he stated. A reason that Barkley seemed to be discussing race was because of some things he saw on social media — and it pissed the 11-time All-Star off.
“Everything is about race. It’s always somebody else’s fault,” he barked before calling everyone online stupid idiots. “If you’re racist…whether you are black or white…you’re an a**hole.” People may dislike Chuck’s basketball takes, but he knocked it out of the park with this take, and he’s definitely making his grandmother proud.
Barkley’s grandmother once said she would disown him unless he got 10 rebounds per game
As sweet as Johnnie Mae was, she was also a drill sergeant. At least according to Barkley. The Hall of Famer once recalled in an interview how angry his grandmother would get at him if he didn’t pull down at least 10 rebounds per game.
“‘You never get less than 10 rebounds, Charles.’ That was her motto,” Chuck recalled to Omaha Productions. “‘You get at least 10 rebounds every single night. That’s what got you to the NBA.'”
Chuck finished his NBA career with an average of 11.7 rebounds per game, so clearly whatever wrath Johnnie Mae reigned down upon him was enough to make him listen. That’s what family does. Motivates you to do something, which you do to either make them happy, or to just stop them from reminding you to do it.
Also, how cool was Johnnie Mae? “Don’t be racist and grab rebounds.” That’s a motto we could all live our lives by.
