Charles Barkley is certainly an accomplished NBA legend. He took home an MVP award in 1993 and was nominated to the Basketball Hall of Fame as soon as he was eligible. But just because he was incredibly skilled doesn’t mean Chuck was perfect in all aspects of the game. He struggled to stay out of trouble off the court, especially if hecklers were testing him. Sir Charles racked up numerous physical altercations over the course of his career, with road games often proving to be particularly challenging.
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During his recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Barkley discussed the challenges of avoiding trouble on the road. The Sixers legend explained that it was very difficult to avoid temptation away from home. Barkley then stated that you don’t even have to go on the road to get yourself into trouble.
When Patrick asked Barkley who helped him navigate past these distractions once he stepped foot in the league, the 11-time All-Star explained that “nobody” helps. Chuck explained that once the money starts coming in, players are often left to fend for themselves, as even those they once trusted can quickly turn against them.
“First thing you gotta do is get rid of your family and friends,” Barkley told Patrick. “Because they’re the biggest freeloaders and they’ll never tell you no. They’ll use up all your money, too … You got to surround yourself with a few people who, number one, will tell you no. Tell you how to invest your money, how to save your money, tell you, ‘Hey, you’ve had too much to drink.'”
Barkley adamantly claimed that the hardest part of navigating life as a professional athlete is finding the right people to surround yourself with. He then explained that athletes today face the same obstacles he did during his career, only now they have more money to spend.
“But there’s women, there’s alcohol, there’s drugs, that’s everywhere whether you’re at home or on the road.” Chuck continued. “And sometimes they can all get you in trouble if you don’t control them. And they’re readily available depending on how much money you got.”
When Patrick questioned how Barkley managed to avoid these temptations, he admitted that he didn’t completely. “Oh, I’ve done stupid things. I never got into the drug thing,” Chuck told the longtime sportscaster, revealing he had only smoked marijuana four or five times and didn’t understand the sensation.
It’s fortunate that Barkley never got involved with drugs, especially given his well-known tendency to stir up trouble when alcohol was in the mix. Had he added drug use to the equation, it’s possible he never would’ve had the chance to develop into the remarkable legend he ultimately became.
