Charles Barkley wasn’t exactly slim when he entered the NBA. But he was dominant. Coming out of Auburn, Chuck was one of the best players in the country. His strength, rebounding, and explosiveness made him a top prospect despite his bulky frame.
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The Philadelphia 76ers took him with the fifth overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. The entire organization, including GM Pat Williams, was thrilled to land him. The Sixers knew they had a special talent in their camp. But that didn’t stop him from cracking jokes.
That was the first time the 76ers had two top 10 picks in the same draft. Amid the optimism for a better future of the franchise, Williams, during his conversation with the media, was in a happy mood. The same was evident with the way he spoke about Chuck, which included multiple jokes about his frame.
“The minute he walks down Broad Street, it’s going to instantly become a one-way street…When he goes swimming, you gotta worry about him getting harpooned,” Williams said. At the time, Barkley was around 280 pounds. Soon after, he hit 290. Despite the extra weight, he still managed to be productive in his rookie season. But it wasn’t until he got help from Sixers legend Moses Malone that things really changed.
Malone took Chuck under his wing. He made him lose weight and taught him discipline. He gave him small targets at first, asking him to drop 10 lbs, and then repeated the process. During a conversation with Graham Bensinger, Chuck said, “I get to 270 and now I’m like, ‘Okay, you can tell I’m in shape now. I’m getting to play.” Malone became his mentor, and the Hall of Famer, is still, to this day, grateful for everything he did for him.
Charles Barkley didn’t want to go to Philadelphia
Barkley faced a lot of hardships growing up. So, when it was his time to get into the league, he knew that the NBA money would get rid of most of his problems. At the time, players were paid peanuts compared to what they make today. Despite that, the money was of great value to Barkley.
He was already informed by the fifth pick holders, the Sixers, that if he drops to 285, they’ll pick him. Chuck was happy to see a team show interest in him. Soon, his agent informed him that if he went to Philly, he’d get $75k. “Dude, I didn’t leave college for $75,000. We have a problem,” Barkley replied.
During his conversation with Sports Illustrated‘s Richard Deitsch, Barkley revealed his master plan to take the 76ers out of the equation days before the draft.
He said, “So we went to Denny’s and I had like two Grand Slam breakfasts. We went to lunch and I had like two big barbeque sandwiches. That night we went to a big steakhouse. The next morning, I had two more Grand Slam breakfasts, and when we flew to Philly, I weighed 302. I was like, Thank goodness, the Sixers are not going to draft me.”
While his bulking-up plan worked, the 76ers still drafted him. Years later, he admitted that it all worked out pretty well.
