In his 1993 autobiography Outrageous!, which was co-authored by Roy S. Johnson, Charles Barkley didn’t shy away from pointing out his Philadelphia 76ers teammates’ weaknesses and limitations. However, his then teammates, as could be expected, didn’t take the criticism in the most positive light. In his 2022 memoir, Barkley: A Biography, author Timothy Bella recounted how the colorful power forward provided a rather baffling defense of his quotes in the book.
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Subsequently, Bella also mentioned how Barkley’s teammate Hersey Hawkins hilariously reacted to Barkley’s bizarre defense regarding these claims.
In Outrageous!, Barkley had called 76ers center Armen Gilliam a weak rebounder. He further opined that SG Hersey Hawkins lacked the “killer instinct” that held them back in key moments. The outspoken 76ers star also stated that Power Forward Charles Shackleford couldn’t get a big role in the bottom-feeding New Jersey Nets, so it’s highly unlikely that he’d be any good for the 76ers. Additionally, he took a dig at 76ers owner Sam Katz, calling him someone who “knew less than an average basketball fan.”
Barkley even reminded the 76ers that he would no longer be in his prime after a few seasons and could very well seek a change of scenery.
“I have three good seasons left, so get a clue,” warned the 1987 rebounding leader in Outrageous!
After facing backlash for his comments, Barkley provided a bizarre defense for his actions. He claimed that he was “misquoted” in his book. Hersey Hawkins, regarding whom Barkley wrote, “ [He’d be] illegal in twenty-five states if he had anything resembling a killer instinct”, was baffled by this strange defense.
“I don’t know how you can be misquoted in your own autobiography,” wondered the bemused sharpshooter.
Hawkins took a dig at Barkley’s reasoning and was not convinced by the defense. The Shooting Guard had averaged 22.1 points per game in the preceding season and had his only All-Star appearance in 1991. That’s why Barkley’s comments were immensely disrespectful to him. Despite this controversy, the book captured a lot of attention. The rags to riches story of a 28-year-old loudmouth Alabama native, who had turned himself into an outspoken multi-millionaire almost overnight amused a wider audience.
Barkley came from a place that bore the brunt of Jim Crow Laws. Thus, the chances of an African American becoming a multimillionaire were exceptional. That’s why Barkley’s story was intriguing to many.
Despite achieving massive wealth, the former 76ers Forward had retained many of his past traits. This made him a very interesting figure to the public.
Charles Barkley has always been outspoken
It wasn’t just in the late 80s or early 90s when The Round Mound of Rebound put forth comical takes. Since 2001, his exchanges during the Inside the NBA cemented his position as a gaffe master. In 2008, the Auburn University alum couldn’t figure out the difference between “your” and “you’re”. His co-host Kenny Smith couldn’t fathom his lack of grammatical knowledge.
Things got off the rails when Shaquille O’Neal joined the show in 2011 which turned Inside the NBA into a laughter fest. It’s just not Barkley’s grammar that invokes a lot of banter and laughter. His basketball predictions have led to a lot of meme fests on the internet. If Chuck gives a guarantee that a team will win, they will most probably fail miserably.
