Raised by his grandmother and mother as a kid, Charles Barkley is always very thoughtful and respectful when it comes to the mothers and female family members of his peers. But things were different when the Chuckster was a short-tempered star for the Philadelphia 76ers. Barkley recalled one incident on The Mark Jackson Show, where he had cussed out Mark Jackson’s mother during the last game of a playoff series.
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About 15 minutes into the show, Barkley was asked to talk about his mother and grandmother and the impact they have had on his life. However, the question coming from Jackson reminded Chuck of the time when he accidentally got into a war of words with the former’s mother. The incident happened in 1989 during the first-round playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks.
Until that point, Barkley hadn’t been swept by any team and it was a matter of pride for him. However, the Knicks took the series 3-0, handing Chuck his first experience of humiliation. During a game at the Garden, probably sensing the inevitable loss, Barkley was constantly engaged in a verbal fight with a lady sitting in the sidelines.
The NBA legend was unaware that she was Jackson’s mother and thought that she must be just another Knicks fan. He said, “I’m yelling at her and we’re going back and forth…and she’s the sweetest lady. But when you’re getting your butt kicked and emotions get high, but man, she was such a wonderful lady.”
Jackson admitted that his mother was always the loudest lady in the basketball gym. So he probably wasn’t surprised that Barkley had got involved in a heated exchange with her unknowingly.
After winning the series, the Knicks decided to rub salt in Chuck’s wounds by bringing brooms to the floor, which infuriated him even more. He said, “I was so pissed off. I was so damn hot. I really was.”
Once Barkley became aware that the lady was Mark Jackson’s mother, he went to talk to her to ensure there was no feeling of disrespect.
Barkley’s mother once had to get involved to stop one of his fights
Barkley has had his fair share of fights in the NBA. One of his most infamous fights was against Shaquille O’Neal, who he now considers to be his brother. But back then, and especially during that particular game, they had no love or respect for one another.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Shaq recalled getting into a fight with Barkley after the Philly legend hit him in the head with the ball. Feeling disrespected by Barkley’s actions, Shaq threw a left-hand punch and missed. Within seconds, the two were on the floor as players and support staff tried their best to get them off of each other.
Shaq said that when he walked to the locker room, he received an unexpected phone call. He told Fallon, “So on two-way was my mom and Charles Barkley’s mom… And I was like, ‘Hello?’ and she’s like, ‘This is Charles’ mom and your mom’s on the phone too’… I was like, ‘Yes ma’am, how are you?'”
“She said, ‘Y’all need to stop. I already talked to Charles. He’s gonna meet you in the hallway. Y’all need to stop and hug.’”
Shaq couldn’t have ignored that order, especially because his mother was involved in it too.
