Legendary power forward Charles Barkley proved his post-retirement fitness by beating TNT’s security guard in a race
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Charles Barkley is now a beloved Network host unless you live in San Francisco. The San Francisco trope hates him. To be honest, not their fault. Barkley publicly riles Golden State Warriors fans with his legendary smack talk.
Of course, he has his moments where he ends up pissing off everybody including players, coaches, executives, and the fan base. But that is what makes him so special and likable, he is not afraid to say what he wants.
However, before he was such an accomplished host on Inside the NBA, Barkley was a feared basketball pro. A relatively small power forward, the 6’6″, 252 lbs Chuck bullied the opponent’s paint.
He was a dominant rebounder and his presence in the paint was a caution tale for rival teams. An 11-time All-Star, the supremely athletic Sixers legend, despite his greatness, retired without a ring.
Though, his lack of a championship should not be translated as a lack of competitiveness. Chuck was an extremely competitive player. And we have reason to believe that he still carries that same drive with him to this day.
Charles Barkley challenged a TNT security guard after the latter dissed him
Chuck is obviously way past his prime. Even as a player, he wasn’t really the fittest, Of course, he had his raw athleticism, explosiveness, and strength.
He was an ardent McDonald’s fan and would eat it before practice often. His former teammate Jayson Williams revealed Chuck’s regime in an interview.
Williams: “I remember going to my first practice with Charles Barkley at the time – who didn’t practice, who never practiced! In 2 years, he practiced twice. He used to come in and get on the stationary bike and ride 1 mile an hour.”
It’s safe to assume Chuck was never fond of running or putting in the extra mile, pun intended. One day TNT’s head security guard Chico saw the former NBA star running and walking around. So, he told Barkley:
“Dude, speed up”
Charles responded to Chico’s taunt by challenging him to a race.
Chico accepted Barkley’s challenge and the two went on to compete in the race. Much to everyone’s surprise, Chuck won the race fair and square. We believe Chico never smack-talked Charles after that defeat.
We suppose it doesn’t matter if you eat healthily or give your all in practice as long as you can keep winning.
