Charles Barkley never fails to mesmerize with anecdotes from his playing days. Time and again, he has mentioned about being grateful to his mother, Charcey Glenn and grandmother, Johnny Mae for running the house and providing for him to fulfill his dreams. But coming from a humble background wasn’t easy since he had to make it work with a pair of Nike shoes for a whole season.
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During his appearance on Nothing Left Unsaid, Sir Charles recalled the time when the ladies of the house saved up money to buy him those shoes. But as he got better at the game, he had to be more competitive and that meant, upgrading his shoes.
This is why they decided that after each game, they would take away his sneakers so that they are maintained well enough to handle Barkley’s aggressive style of play for long.
Although the idea was not half bad, but it meant that Barkley experienced something not many did. For a 17-year-old to have his family members coming to the locker room for taking back the sneakers in front of everyone, was embarrassing.
“My mother and grandmother, they pooled their money to buy me a great pair of Nikes. But I could only wear them during the game. They would bring them to the game and then come knocking on the locker room door after the game and take the sneakers. You know how humiliating and embarrassing that is for a 17-year-old kid?,” Barkley said.
But Chuck has no regrets that he lived through a time like that because he was always loved and cared for. After years of struggle, he made it into the league in 1984 and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the world. After that, he never looked back.
Barkley once had to ask his mother to not spend too much money
Barkley has always spoken highly of his mother and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. Once he started making millions, Chuck was finally able to give his mother the life she deserved.
As rich as he was at the time, his best friend Shaquille O’Neal was making more money than him. Both their mothers were also best friends and would often go on vacations.
On an episode of his show King Charles, Chuck said, “They went on like 12 vacations a year and my mom was trying to spend money like Shaq’s mama. I was like, ‘Mama, I didn’t make 1/3rd of the money Shaq made.’”
Shaq’s career earnings stand at $286 million as compared to Barkley’s $40 million. So, he wasn’t wrong to ask her to not match Shaq’s mother’s expenses.
But those memories will always remain with Barkley as Glenn passed away in Alabama in June 2015 at the age of 73.
