After spending eight years with the 76ers, Charles Barkley knows better than just about anyone how volatile Philadelphia fans can be. They’re a passionate bunch, but when things aren’t going in their team’s favor, things can get ugly pretty quickly. While he hasn’t seen the 76ers win a title since he joined them, he sure has seen the Eagles soar.
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Back in 2018, the Vikings were about to take on the Eagles for the NFC Championship. Barkley went to Philly to attend the game and ran into a bunch of Vikings fans who asked him for advice.
The Hall of Fame forward revealed that a group of Minnesota fans had asked him how they should react if the game was going in their direction. Knowing how aggressive the Philly faithful can get, Chuck urged them to keep quiet.
“Don’t make a sound. Those people, they’re gonna be loaded. They’re gonna go crazy,” Barkley warned them of the ravenous Philly fans. “They came back to the hotel after the game. They were like, ‘Man, you were right, they were throwing stuff at us.’ And I said, ‘And you all lost 38 to 7! Can you imagine what they would (have) thrown at you if you would (have) won?'”
Barkley knows Philadelphia fans drown out their losses even harder than they celebrate their wins, making it nearly impossible for an opposing fan to enjoy their experience. Had the Vikings managed to pull off the reverse of what ended up being a blowout victory for the Eagles, things could have gotten much worse for the poor Minnesota fans.
Barkley has seen fans from all over the world through his basketball career, so he certainly has firsthand experience in talking about fan behavior. The former MVP has used the experience to issue warnings on other occasions, as well.
When Barkley warned Knicks fans before a playoff matchup against Philly
The New York and Philadelphia fan bases are known to have a heated rivalry, so when the Knicks and Sixers faced off in the first round of last year’s postseason, tensions were running high. This prompted Barkley to send a warning to New York fans, who are known to have a searing passion for their teams, as well.
“If y’all come down to Philly with that damn racket Thursday night, there’s gonna be some repercussions and some consequences!” Barkley said following Philly’s close Game 5 victory.
New York would go on to win the series, but Chuck’s point still resonated with the city. Barkley hasn’t been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for over thirty years, but the 11-time All-Star has clearly adopted the same passion for the city’s teams as the rest of the fan base.
