Charles Barkley considers Bernard King as one of the best scorers of the game, lamenting how a major injury cut short King’s career.
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Injuries are a sad reality of sports. Sometimes, it hinders potential greatness, and sometimes it takes away your chance to be the best in the game for a long time. One such case is that of Bernard King.
Bernard played 14 seasons in the NBA. He is best known for his years with the New York Knicks. Before suffering a devastating injury to his right leg, King was a serious problem for the defenders.
Charles Barkley giving props to King he said “I talked about George Gervin being the best pure scorer probably ever seen. Bernard King is in the same category”.
How good was Bernard King during his prime?
Bernard used to play st the small forward position. Another legend at small forward named Dominique Wilkins considers King’s greatness. The human highlight reel said ” I never feared anybody I played against. One guy that scared me was Bernard King.”
He further added ” You could not guard him on the block. It was just impossible.” The whole league felt that in King’s prime. In 1984 he made history by becoming the first player (after Rick Barry in 1967) to score at least 50 points in consecutive games.
Bernard was a 4-times All-Star. He made the All-NBA First Team twice. He led the league in scoring in 1984-85 by averaging 32.9 points. He holds the record for most points scored in a Christmas game.
He dropped 60 points on the New Jersey Nets in 1984. He scored 40 points by the halftime of that game. He shot 19 of 30 from the field and 22 of 26 from the free-throw line.
But what happened later that season, robbed King and his fans. He got multiple injuries on his right leg when he was attempting to block a dunk by Reggie Theus. His prime was cut short by that incident but his overall contribution to the game earned him a place in The Hall Of Fame.
