“Never Gotten a Letter From a Major School”: Charles Barkley Reveals How 1 Game Transformed His Basketball Career, Brought Nike Deal

Charles Barkley has become one of the most famous sports personalities in the United States of America. His fame came from playing basketball in the NBA, but one could argue his role as an Analyst played an even major part.

He played in the NBA for 16 seasons as a Power Forward and represented the 76ers, the Suns, and the Rockets. An 11-time All-Star and 1993 league MVP, Chuck dominated the game by driving to the basket and rebounding at an elite level.

But he’s been arguably even more dominant ever since he’s set foot in the field of sportscasting. Barkley doesn’t pull punches when he gets on TNT alongside Ernie, Shaq and Kenny.

The quartet combines for the only Can’t-Miss sports television show that has ever aired. Chuck is Must-See TV; you never know what he might say unprompted that has NBA Twitter rolling on the floor laughing.

Charles Barkley talks about the High School game that changed his career

In the “60 minutes” show, Charles Barkley talks about his college prospects while playing in high school. He was not a high prospect in school and reveals not been reached out to by major colleges. In particular, Charles talks about the High school game which turned his life around. Chuck says:

“I never received a letter from a major school. They said he is too short, he is going to a junior college or a smaller level school. Everything changed post the Christmas tournament. I had one pair of shoes to play the entire season. My mom would knock on the locker room before the game to give me the shoes and knock again to take them back after the game.”

Charles outperformed his expectations in the Christmas tournament. Suddenly, he had grown into a major college prospect. The stat line from one of those games read 24 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Charles would go on to join Auburn university where he would go on to win the Southeastern Conference Player-of-the-year award in 1984. Subsequently, he would go on to become the 5th overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft.

Watch excerpts from the conversation using the link below:

Charles bags a deal from Nike

Nike signed Charles to a $2 million dollar to wear their sneakers. This was the first major sneaker deal he ever received and he could not believe it. He tells the host of “60 minutes”:

“Nike called and said we are going to send you shoes that will last about a week. Are you serious right now? I thought to myself – This is amazing. Wait! You are going to pay me too?”

He signed the deal with Nike in 1992. The first official signature shoe was ‘The Air Force Max CB’ which was heavy and built for players of Charles Barkley’s size. In 1993, Nike released a commercial titled ‘I am not a role model’. Watch the commercial below: