When celebrity personal trainer and businessman, Tim Grover, was taken aback by Charles Barkley’s athleticism.
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Standing at 6″5′, Charles Barkley didn’t have the size to play the power forward position as per the NBA norms. However, the Suns legend would put all doubts and speculations to rest, displaying elite athleticism and physicality, nicknamed The Round Mound of Rebound.
Though the Chuckster had his struggles with his weight, he was incredibly explosive and agile. The former MVP’s ability to collect rebounds was one of a kind, averaging a career double-double of 22.1 PPG and 11.7 RPG. A member of the 75th-anniversary team, Chuck is widely regarded as a top-10 PF.
While many of the current generation failed to witness Barkley’s dominance on the hardwood, there were a few fortunate ones to experience it first-hand. One of them was Tim Grover, who had burst onto the scene for being Michael Jordan’s personal trainer.
In his book Relentless, Grover recalls working out with Barkley as he rehabbed from an injury. The celebrity trainer narrated how the eleven-time All-Star surprised him with his athleticism while recovering from a knee injury.
“He looked at me with that death stare and demanded a ball”: Tim Grover recounts telling Charles Barkley to stay off the court.
The Chuckster is no holds barred in every sense. While he may have sobered down with age, the Hall of Famer was quite the rebel during his playing days in the NBA. The Alabama native had a temper but wouldn’t necessarily channel it in the right direction, having mixed results.
Grover was one of the few individuals to experience the many shades of Chuck, recalling spending time with the former Suns forward during his knee injury rehab.
“The great Charles Barkley, probably the most athletically gifted individual I’ve ever seen, and a cleaner in every way. Charles was working with me after knee surgery, and he was not happy when I said he and his post-surgical torn patella had to stay off the court as long as he was in an immobilizer. He looked at me with that death stare and demanded a ball. Then he stood under the basket and dunked ten times off the healthy foot. Dunked. Ten times. One foot. The boot never touched the ground. With cleaners, there’s no off switch. They’re always on.”
Via: Basketball Network
Coming from an individual who has trained the likes of MJ, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, Grover’s praise only shows how dominant a force Barkley was during his heydays. Though undersized for his position, Barkley exhibited more fight and skill than even the seven-footers in the league
Also read: Charles Barkley squashed Kobe Bryant’s teammate’s $250,000 deal during appearance on Shark Tank
