Charles Barkley is known for his strong and honest opinions on games and players. He has always been vocal ever since his playing days in the NBA. A similar Chuck was seen during the early 90s, he grew increasingly frustrated with the 76ers’ performance and new signings. One of them to be on the receiving end of his heat was the 7’7″ center Manute Bol, who arrived as a Sixer in August 1990. Although Manute Bol’s arrival was an attempt to increase the Sixers’ chances for a championship, Chuck was incredibly critical of his game, especially his ‘one-dimensional’ approach to playing.
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In his final years with the Sixers, Charles Barkley was extremely unhappy with his team’s lack of success. The other 1984 draft class athletes, such as Michael Jordan, had already won two championships when he left the Sixers in 1992. Chuck averaged 23.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game in his final season with the Sixers. Despite putting such numbers, the Sixers finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and could not even qualify for the playoffs.
Charles Barkley was extremely critical of Manute Bol as his teammate in the early 1990s
Manute Bol arrived as a center for the Philadelphia 76ers from the Golden State Warriors in 1990. The 7’7″ player, which made him the tallest of his time, came with expectations of helping the Sixers’ chances in playoffs and a championship run.
However, his tenure at Philadelphia was rather underwhelming. Charles Barkley, in particular, wasn’t quite fond of his teammate’s ‘one-dimensional’ performance. In his book Sir Charles: Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley, Chuck was quoted saying an incredibly critical remark about Bol.
“He’s a one-dimensional player who doesn’t give you anything except blocked shots … we traded a first-round draft choice for a 28-year-old flyswatter who could score only 1.9 points a game. Hell, my grandmother could score two points a game, as long as she wasn’t double-teamed.”
The 7’7″ Sudanese player had an underwhelming season with the Sixers, averaging 3.0 points and 1.8 blocks per game. Perhaps, Chuck was right about his game, given Bol’s height could not come off many advantages to the Sixers’ championship aspirations.
Barkley and Manute Bol were relatively close during their tenure together
Despite such scathing criticism for his teammate, Sir Charles, and Manute Bol were rather close during their time together. While at the Sixers, Barkley often used to play friendly pranks on his teammates, and the 7’7″ Manute Bol was no exception.
After throwing a massive dunk on Bol, Barkley once pranked the Sudanese while they were checking out food at a buffet table. Although Bol’s career was mostly sidelined in NBA, he is regarded by many including Sir Charles, for his efforts towards helping his community during the Sudanese Civil War.
