NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley recalls his reaction to being drafted by the Sixers.
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Arguably one of the greatest power forwards to play the game, Charles Barkley’s resume speaks for itself. Despite being undersized for his position, the Alabama native exhibited sheer dominance in the paint. Standing at 6ft 5′, the former MVP could collect rebounds even in his sleep.
Hailing from Leeds, Alabama, The Chuckster played college basketball for Auburn University. It was rare to see a player of Barkley’s size excite the crowds with his dunks and blocked shots. Thus making the NBA was only a matter of time. Surprisingly, Chuck wasn’t very pleased about this development.
Gearing up to go pro, Barkley was stunned at learning what his first paycheck would be, expressing disappointment to his agent. Touted to be the 5th pick in the 1984 draft class that boasted the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan, the Sixers had developed an interest in Chuck.
Also read: “NBA Made a Big Mistake”: When Charles Barkley Blasted Teams for Blindly Emulating The Warriors
Unfortunately, the feeling didn’t extend mutually, courtesy of the Philly franchise’s financial woes.
Charles Barkley didn’t want the Sixers to draft him.
While money may not be an issue for The Chuckster today, given his $50 million net worth, such wasn’t the case before. Born in a small town like Leeds, Barkley led a simple life but dreamed big. Thus when he learned about being drafted into the NBA, he had mixed reactions.
Narrating the moment, Barkley said, “So about 3-days before the draft, my agent says to me, ‘We need to talk,’ so I said what’s going on, he says, ‘The Sixers can only give you $75,000,’ he says, they’re over the cap, and I’m like, Yo man I didn’t leave college for $75,000.”
The Inside the NBA analyst narrated the D-Day saying, “With the 5th pick of the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Charles Barkley from Auburn University, and I’m like holy f**k, I left college for $75,000.”
Well, we all know what transpired ahead, the classic story of Barkley spending 48 hours at Denny’s only to gain 20-pounds, to avoid meeting the 285 pounds criteria, something he had already achieved with so much hard work. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned with the Alabama native going to the Sixers.
Fortunately for Barkley, he had veterans like Julius Erving and Moses Malone as teammates, who helped him manage his weight and improve his conditioning levels.
Also read: Power forward Charles Barkley, used to “run like Derrick Rose and finish like Russell Westbrook”
