“For You Guys, $129”: After Michael Jordan’s Nike Advice ‘Earned’ Him $20,000,000, Charles Barkley ‘Poked Fun’ at Sportswriters for Not Being Able to Buy His Shoes

Charles Barkley is beloved in the NBA community for his candid and authentic personality and spontaneous humor. During a time when everybody sugar-coats and censors their rhetoric carefully to avoid offending anyone, Barkley’s unfiltered jokes and sharp opinions are a breath of fresh air for a large swath of people. The Round Mound of Rebound has always spoken freely, completely fearless of any kind of consequences for his speech. His flippant humor has prompted a lot of backlash over the years but has only endeared him more to his core fandom. A good example of a typical Charles Barkley joke would be him mocking sportswriters for not being able to afford his Nike shoes.

Charles Barkley signed his Nike deal at about the same time as Michael Jordan. However, Jordan told Barkley to make some changes to his deal which later made him a fortune. The Chicago Bulls star suggested that Chuck should ask for $2,000,000 in stock options and $1,000,000 in cash, instead of just $3,000,000 in cash. Barkley decided to bet on Nike because of Jordan’s involvement with the brand and eventually went on to 10x his money into $20,000,000.

Charles Barkley roasted Sportswriters for their salaries

It’s not rare to see sportswriters criticize and roast NBA players for faults in their game. However, Charles Barkley decided to turn the tables back in 1993. Barkley’s Nike Air Max CB 94s cost around $130 at that time, which were pretty expensive for the 90s.

Therefore, Barkley was asked whether his shoes are affordable for sportswriters, who definitely do not get paid like NBA stars, at least most of them don’t. The Chuckster couldn’t let this opportunity to roast sportswriters go in vain. As per his book Sir Charles: Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley, Barkley told sportswriters in 1993, “For you guys, $129.”

Such statements were pretty much the trademark of Barkley’s humor. Even Nike tapped into Sir Charles’ offhand wit and made a befitting commercial. In the advertisement, Barkley was seen blatantly crushing kids’ dreams, saying buying his shoes won’t make them play like him.

Barkley’s shoes are making a comeback this year

Charles Barkley’s signature Nike Air Max2 CB ‘94 shoes are making a comeback during the holidays this year, as per Sole Collector. The “Triple Black” Nike Air Max2 CB ‘94 shoes are set to have a retail price of $170.

As suggested by the name, the shoes were first released in 1994. It’s pretty surprising to see that the prices have only gone up by $40 in the span of 29 years. Maybe sportswriters nowadays will finally be able to afford the Chuckster’s signature shoes.