Charles Barkley was one of the biggest names in the country in 1992. Eight years into his career, Barkley had earned a reputation through his physical strength and aggressive style of play. His position as a superstar earned him a spot on the Dream Team, and he led them in scoring during their ’92 Olympics run.
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Less than two weeks after winning the Gold Medal, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. There, Barkley started a new chapter of his career with a big responsibility on his shoulders. Then Suns’ coach, Lowell Fitzsimmons, made him aware of this.
Until 1992, the Suns only had one Division title and one Conference title to their name. With the addition of a superstar like Barkley, they started dreaming big. As per Timothy Bella’s book ‘Barkley,’ Fitzsimmons decided to take Chuck for a walk through the America West Arena on his first day. During that walk, he told him what the organization needed from him, rather dramatically.
Fitzsimmons said, “You see this building? It was built without your services…You see all these seats? Well, you didn’t put one person in the seats; they were already sold out.”
The former coach then looked up to the rafters and said, “What don’t we have? Championship flag. That’s what we want from Charles Barkley.”
He made it clear that if Chuck couldn’t bring a championship to Phoenix, then anything else that he did would be meaningless to the franchise. Barkley tried his best, leading them to one NBA Finals, but the championship aspiration of the Suns remains a distant dream to this day.
Charles Barkley led the Phoenix Suns to the Finals
Barkley arrived in Phoenix in July 1992 and after the inspiring walk with Fitzsimmons, he had his priorities in order. The Hall of Famer started his Suns tenure with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.
He finished the regular season playing 76 games, averaging 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field.
Barkley won the MVP title for his brilliant season, but the job wasn’t done yet. He still had a mountain to climb and bring the NBA title to his franchise. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993, doing everything right on his part, but then he met Michael Jordan.
MJ was already furious about losing the MVP title to Barkley that year, and he showed his anger in that Finals series. He averaged 32.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 78 games while shooting at nearly 50% from the field.
The two were close friends all throughout this, but his anger at being snubbed for the MVP saw him decimate the Suns. He would average 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, leading the Bulls to their first three-peat.
Chuck averaged 27.3 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 6 games in the NBA Finals. But it was no match for the mighty Bulls. The Suns had to settle for another Conference title, and their hunt for the Larry O’Brien trophy still continues.
