Charles Barkley’s physical play style and penchant for quarreling and engaging in skirmishes with his opponents earned him a reputation for being a bully. However, to his grandkids, Charlie and Henry Hoffman, that couldn’t be further from the truth. And the Hall of Famer loves that.
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Barkley never thought that being a grandparent would be a life-altering experience. The retired forward competed and beat some of the greatest players in NBA history. He represented his nation at the Olympics and brought home the gold medal. He has traveled the world, experienced every luxury money could buy, and has, in his own words, lived a blessed life.
However, on the Come Talk 2 Me podcast, he spoke about how it all paled in comparison to getting a phone call from his grandchildren. He said,
“[Being a grandparent] is the most amazing thing. When that little dude (Henry) calls me to Facetime me, and when that little girl (Charlie) calls me [by my nickname] Big Pop, my heart just races.”
Barkley then spoke about how Henry summons him to get back home when he’s traveling for work and he obliges because he loves spending time with his grandson. He said,
“When my daughter says,’Dad are you busy?’ and I’m like, ‘No I’m not doing anything.’ And I see her Facetiming me and there’s that little man Henry, and he’s like, ‘Big Pop, where you at?… You need to hurry back home.’ Because we developed this tradition where I take him out on my golf cart everyday after school and we just drive around for about 30 minutes just asking about his day and he’s like,’We’re gonna do this everyday, right?’ I said, ‘If you want it. It’s not like I have a choice.'”
While Barkley suggested that his tradition with Henry is an imposition, he loves it just as much. The Hall of Famer even admitted in an interview with 60 Minutes that being a grandparent has been the most fulfilling experience of his life. He said,
“It is by far and away the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. It lives up to the hype… I want to spend as much time with him as possible and when he gets older, I want him to Google me. I hope he does some research on me. I’ll be long gone. But I’d like him to know I accomplished some things in life.”
Barkley’s grandchildren see him as a sweet old grandparent. However, he knows once they are old enough, they’d find it difficult to believe that he was among the most vicious players to ever play basketball. But to them, that wouldn’t change a thing. To them, he was, is, and always will be Big Pop.
