Ticket 2 Ride

Every year or so I feel the need to write about Sir Charles. A recent biography by Timothy Bella gives me that opportunity.

Until late in his playing career, I wasn’t a fan of Charles Barkley. I’m old school and Barkley represented the physical, brasher and flashier NBA. His approach to the game was not my thing. Then a funny thing happened, as he became the old guard, I started liking the guy. It wasn’t until he retired that I began to enjoy Barkley. It would be years later that I sort of grew to sort of understand him.

Barkley is a serious read; it’s damn long. If you enjoy reading about basketball, there’s a lot of recapping of Barkley’s long career. I remember the NBA from the 1980s and 1990s, essentially the Michael Jordan period. Honestly, I was more interested in the Dr. J and Moses Malone stories, than the Jordan and Pippen stories. I didn’t know that Jordan and Barkley were such good friends; fierce competitors, and friends off the court – until they weren’t.

Charles Barkley is a challenging man to understand, no label or easy description fits him. That is partially why he’s so interesting; feel the layers of his life and each looks a bit different than the previous one. Predictable? He’s not.

Bella tells the story of Barkley not being able to graduate with his high school class. He was required to attend summer school, after his class received their diplomas. He realized that he had screwed up by not working to pass his classes and get his diploma with his classmates. “I just stood there for two hours straight, just crying,” he said. Charles later recalled to Dr. Phil, “I was so distraught.” Years would pass before Charles would get over the sting of not walking across the stage with his classmates. “It taught me that you aren’t going to be given anything in life, that you have to earn what you get.” he said. “It was my life and my fault.”

Of the colleges that recruited him, Barkley was drawn to Auburn, a school still very segregated with roughly three percent of the student population being African American. An old choice. Yet, Bella quotes Barkley as saying he never had any problems with racism there, even though he had a White girlfriend. “The atmosphere at Auburn was truly like one big family.”

At Auburn, Barkley truly became the Charles Barkley we know today. Barkley was not an easy player to coach, which would continue as an NBA player. His relationship with Auburn head basketball coach Sonny Smith had its ups and downs – but Barkley came to Auburn because of Smith and his wife Jan. When Jan suffered a serious stroke, Barkley was the first player to visit her in the hospital. He considered her the greatest wife ever. Barkley collected people he cared about.

Upon retiring as a player, Barkley immediately jumped to TNT’s Inside the NBA. Telling host Ernie Johnson that he would be there only two years, Barkley is still there. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson all just signed long-term contracts.

Life after basketball has been good for Sir Charles. Besides the basketball show, Barkley is a very popular pitchman, with lots of endorsements and deals. As I’ve written before, Charles Barkley’s biggest job is being Charles Barkley, and he gives the people what they seem to want.

Bella writes of Barkley’s impact. “Yet something else was happening: The show would now bond entertainment with the NBA, hoping to tell the story of the league better than anyone else. That couldn’t be done without Charles, their new irreverent anchor.”

Barkley has turned Inside the NBA into a male version of The View. Basketball is only one of the topics the panel tackles. “When I hired Charles,” former Turner Sports President Mark Lazarus said, “I told him to be himself. And I promised I’d never censor him.”

The book also covers Barkley’s post-basketball career, although a weakness is that Barkley wouldn’t talk to the writer. It’s not a huge problem, but it might have provided more insight into areas of Barkley’s personal life, which is only a partially open book. Barkley is uselessly mum about his 30-year marriage to Maureen. Unfortunately, Barkley has splashed across the police blotter and tabloids for bad boy behavior, fueling the public’s taste for more.

Barkley is not always right, but he says what he thinks and seems to accept when he’s wrong. Even Barkley speaks what’s on his mind and gives it to you straight, he is a complicated man. For example: money. Money isn’t what motivates him, but it’s a sign of respect and worth. Barkley has blown through many millions on gambling, poor investments, paying for the party – yet he was always aware of how it could change lives. With the 76ers, he was in awe of Julius Erving, who had an office for his various companies, while still a player.

With his first NBA contract, Barkley renovated the homes of his mother and grandmother since they wouldn’t move from their neighborhood. His mother wouldn’t stop cleaning other people’s houses even after her son offered to support her. She was proud and wanted to continue doing what she enjoyed.

His mother and grandmother also ran the Charles Barkley Foundation, awarding hundreds of Leeds High School students with millions of dollars in college scholarships. His generosity did not stop there. He was known for being a big tipper, and when word got out that he was visiting a local casino, workers lined up to work that shift. If he won big, Barkley was known to tip thousands. Of course, he was known for huge losses too, but it was his generosity gets less newsprint. A local church was collecting toys and gifts for underprivileged families and children. The church was broken into and every gift stolen. Barkley replaced all the gifts and donated extra.

Another Barkley project was to build ten to twenty affordable homes in his hometown. To pay for it, he would auction off some of his basketball memorabilia like the American flag signed by the original Dream Team, his 1993 NBA MVP trophy and his gold medal from the ’96 Olympics.

Barkley did have to part ways with his financial manager. Many of his investments were described as “nuclear waste” by an a tax attorney examining his tax returns. This was still during his playing days so he had future cash flow, but was starting over.

Weight was a reoccurring issue in Barkley’s playing career. It was clear that he could not just get by on his size and strength. As a rookie, Barkley was frustrated about his playing time. Teammate Moses Malone took Barkley under his wing and put him to work, before and after practices.

“I pulled Moses aside and asked him, Why am I not playing more?” Charles said. After looking the young man up and down, Malone had a simple answer. “You’re fat and you’re lazy, that’s why,” Malone said. “You can’t play basketball if you’re not in shape. “I said, ‘I don’t understand that,” Charles recalled. “He said, ‘Which part, the fat or the lazy part?’”

Barkley was a first round draft pick, but he had to convince head coach Billy Cunningham that he had earned the right to play. “Charles was not an easy person to coach, Cunningham said.” I used to have open practices for the media, but when Charles came along I saw this was going to be a battle of wills, and it was. Charles liked the way he did things.”

“I made up my mind and said, “Okay, I’ve got to be able to look myself in the mirror.’ That don’t mean I’m right all the time, but I’m gonna try to speak my truth and my rightness.” His comments could be divisive and controversial.

Barkley’s comments got the attention of politicians, Dan Quayle in particular. Barkley said things that interested Republicans, and Barkley considered elective office back in his home state of Alabama. He pondered it for years, even buying a home there to establish residency. A registered Republican, Barkley did not let political labels restrict his views. He had issues with both parties, and was outspoken against his own race.

Barkley’s comments often were said on Inside the NBA. Barkley and fellow Insider Kenny Smith have been known to have spirited discussions on race and policing. Bella mentioned that USA Today columnist Christine Brennan took notice of this discussion and praised TBS for allowing Barkley and Smith to have dialogue on a sports show.

“We as Black people are never going to be successful, not because of you White people, but because of other Black people,” he said. During the unrest in Ferguson, MO, Barkley was critical of rioters who were trashing and looting their own community.

Barkley’s trouble with the law and the NBA are well-known, and his failings always been front page news. I mention these because it’s part of his complexity. Flaws can be very revealing. As outlined in Bella’s book:

• “I regret only one thing—the spitting incident. But you know what? It taught me a valuable lesson.” Barkley was responding to racist remarks, he spit on the wrong person and paid for the action.

• During a traffic stop, a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun was found behind the passenger seat. He was arrested on one count of possession of a controlled dangerous weapon.

• Barkley was arrested and sentenced to a three-day stay at the Maricopa County Tent City as the result of a traffic stop, and court-ordered alcohol treatment. A woman was observed getting into his car outside of a gentleman’s club. Barkley indicated he was in a hurry to get oral sex.

• “Do you know who the fuck I am? Do you know who the fuck I am?” Then Barkley threw a man through a plate glass window. “You got what you deserve,” Barkley said. “You don’t disrespect me. I hope you’re hurt.”

Barkley is Barkley. He’s survived the negative events and gotten paid vast sums of money to say what’s on his mind. The more outrageous the better. He told David Letterman it was “the greatest scam going in the world.”

“Not everyone was in on the act. Vecsey felt on-and off-air that Turner was jumping too quickly from being a serious outlet for NBA news to one led by a former player who talked off the top of his head without knowing shit.” Yet something else was happening: The show would now bond entertainment with the NBA, hoping to tell the story of the league better than anyone else. That couldn’t be done without Charles, their new irreverent anchor.”

“I’m just what America needs-another unemployed Black man,” a newly retired Barkley said. A red light flashed on the room phone. Barkley picked up the receiver and began to listen to the dozens of messages left for him. The first voice mail? It was Jordan. “I’m here if you need me,” his friend said.

Barkley changed Nike commercials the way he changed Inside the NBA by introducing social commentary into these traditional sports vehicles. The “I Am Not a Role Model” commercial, created instant reaction and controversy. Michael Wilbon called the commercial “the most important commercial of its kind at the time, and it remains, arguably, the most important commercial.” An athlete who refused to be a role model and said it. “And it was completely, wrongly perceived,” Wilbon said at the time. What Barkley implied in the commercial was that parents should be the ones to set the standards for their children, not athletes, actors or musicians. Barkley was saying to parents, do your damn job, don’t expect me to do it for you. Still, many did not accept an athlete taking responsibility for his/her influence. Right or wrong, Sir Charles had made a point and he stuck to it.

Strangely, the book does not mention Barkley’s friendship with Lin Wang. If you haven’t heard this story, you should. Wang’s daughter Shirley, provides the story. Two strangers, of very different worlds and cultures, develop a deep friendship. This one story might tell you a lot about the man.

Barkley is a very good read, but misses a few areas of his life.