Charles Barkley is one of the most resilient players to have ever played in the NBA. This goes for both him in the physical sense and from a mentality standpoint as well. Chuck played in the league for 16 years and consistently got bested in the Playoffs and yet still tried finding situations where he could claim at least a single ring.
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When it comes to him being a physical presence, the entirety of his game depended upon how hard he was willing to fight in the paint for rebounds, putbacks, and shots at the rim. Given that Chuck was one of the most dominating paint presences of all time, it’s safe to say that he was indeed, quite the resilient man.
While in his 16th season in the NBA however, he would get a reality check that he never truly came back from. He tore his quad during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in December of 1999 and cried on the phone to his wife about his career being over.
Charles Barkley returned for a single game to finish his career off the right way
Charles Barkley intended to retire after the 1999-00 season but wanted to do so the right way, of his own volition. Instead, he was carried off the court by Houston Rockets personnel and teammates. While in an interview with Ernie Johnson, Chuck said he didn’t want his career to end that way.
So, after going through the requisite rehabilitation processes to repair his torn quad, he forced Rockets coaching staff to let him play a single game. Hesitant at first, HC Rudy, agreed and put him into a game several months later to try to get him a rebound and bucket.
It wasn’t easy unfortunately as Chuck admitted that the rim looked ‘50 feet in the air’ following his injury. As luck would have it however, after several minutes of him trying to battle for a rebound and running up and down the floor, the ball would fall in his lap and he would go up for a lay-up and actually get fouled.
Rudy would immediately take him out of the game and that was the last play of Barkley’s career and the last points he ever scored.
