Charles Barkley is a notorious gambler, and that once got him into trouble with Mark Jackson during a game.
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The Suns legend used to be a dominant figure back in the 1990s. He faced up against Jordan’s Bulls in the Finals, and he was a member of the Dream Team that won gold.
However, behind the scenes, Barkley was a serious gambling addict. Through his playing career and his role with Inside the NBA, Barkley has built up a $50 million net worth.
He puts it to good use as well, indulging in gambling. Stories have run wild about how Barkley’s made $700,000 in a single weekend in Las Vegas and also how he once lost $2.5 million in a six hour period.
Despite the losses, Barkley doesn’t seem to care. He knows it’s bad, but he also knows he has the money to gamble and won’t stop.
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Charles Barkley was fined $5,000 for an in game bet with Mark Jackson
All of Barkley’s endeavors haven’t come in the casino though. In 1990, Barkley made some bets on the court with Mark Jackson in a game against the Knicks which ended up costing him heavily.
“Barkley said he had bet $1,000 with Jackson that he would make the two free throws he was awarded with 22.4 seconds left. Barkley won that bet,” a Times article reported. “Barkley then bet Jackson that Jackson could not tie the game with a 3-pointer. Barkley lost that bet.”
Barkley also revealed that he had lost $500 to Jackson the previous year in the playoffs. David Stern took note of the situation and acted swiftly.
He fined both Jackson and Barkley $5,000 and called them to the league office for a full report of what had happened. Surely, it’s not something Barkley is proud of, but as said before, he won’t stop gambling.
“It’s a stupid, bad habit. I have a problem,” Barkley explained once. “But the problem is when you can’t afford it. I can afford to gamble. I like to gamble and I’m not going to quit.”
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