The Philadelphia 76ers finished the 1990-91 regular season with a 44-38 record. Led by Charles Barkley, who recorded 27.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, the Sixers advanced to the postseason as the fifth seed. Going up against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round itself, Barkley didn’t mince any words after winning Game 1.
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The Philly franchise grabbed a 99-90 victory. While Hersey Hawkins was the highest scorer of the bout, Charles Barkley put up an extremely impressive 19-point, 8-rebound, 5-assist, and 3-steal outing. Even though Chuck didn’t perform up to the standards that he set for himself, the 6ft 6” forward didn’t shy away from talking his talk.
After the well-contested battle concluded, as seen in “Sir Charles: Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkely”, Barkley wasn’t subtle at all as he flexed his salary.
“I’m paid to kick a** on the basketball court,” Barkley said after the contest.
During that All-NBA First Team year, the big man was paid $2,900,000 – the fourth highest-paid among all players.
Charles Barkley lost to Michael Jordan in the very next round
Charles Barkley is known for his candid personality. Whether good or bad, the man doesn’t think twice before speaking his heart out. We’ve seen Barkley say all sorts of things during his appearance on TNT’s Inside the NBA. However, Sir Charles has been this same exact way since during his playing days.
Unfortunately for Barkley and Co., after sweeping the Bucks, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls were their second-round matchup.
Charles Barkley was phenomenal during that series, averaging 25.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. However, it wasn’t enough to carry his team over the line. Led by Michael Jordan’s 33.4 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game, the Bulls won the series 4-1.
Eventually, the Illinois side would go on to defeat the Lakers in the 1991 Finals, winning their 1st title in franchise history.
