As a player, Charles Barkley was incredibly talented. However, if there was one flaw in his game, it was his bad temperament. The Round Mound of Rebound often failed to keep his emotions in check. As such, this led to him receiving hefty fines every time he had outbursts on the court. This happened more often than not when he faced another NBA legend, Charles Oakley. So much so, that he wanted to “k*ll him”, four years after receiving a huge $39,500 fine against Oakley’s Knicks.
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Back in 1993, Cuch received a $10,000 fine and was suspended for one game after he jumped on the scorer’s table, and used some unsavory language toward the officials. The one-game suspension meant he would lose $29,500 of his salary. Taking the grand total of his losses to $39,500. Something that didn’t sit right with the Hall of Famer.
Charles Barkley admitted he was out for blood after facing Charles Oakley in 1997
In 1997, while playing for the Houston Rockets, Charles Barkley went off. Guarded by a fellow legend of the game, Charles Oakley, Chuck dropped a double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds against the New York Knicks. A great game for him, but it was his comments after the game that caught the attention of the media.
Following the game, Barkley sat down with the announcers, one of whom was Doc Rivers. When speaking about his performance, the topic of Oakley was brought up. This prompted Charles to let the world know just how annoyed he was with the Knicks forward.
While he did emphasize his respect for Oakley, he started off by stating how much he wants to “k*ll” the Oak Tree. Recalling something the Knicks legend did to him in pre-season, Chuckster was livid. Even, going so far as to claim that he used steroids and that perhaps that was why he was so crazy at times.
“I wanted to k*ll Charles Oakley. What he did to me during the pre-season was uncalled for. I’ve always respected him as a player and I’m not sure why he did that. I think steroids just make him go crazy at times, and I think that’s what happened!”
The real reason for his anger toward Oakley may have stemmed from the extensive fines he has received playing against the Knicks. However, there have been times when he has brushed off fines, claiming they didn’t affect him whatsoever. So, his irritation at the time still remains a mystery.
Chuck once claimed that the fines he paid went toward feeding needy children
Over the course of his career, Charles Barkley paid a lot of fines. But, he didn’t mind paying the hefty fees, as he revealed in his book. After all, in 1990, NBA Vice President of Operations, Rod Thorn claimed that some of the money the league collected from Chuck in fines went to feeding needy children.
This led to Barkley jokingly suggesting that there can’t be that hungry kids left in the world, given how exorbitant his fines were.
Chuck was definitely being sarcastic. Especially, considering the fines he paid are measly compared to the lumpsums some NBA superstars pay in today’s game.
