Charles was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.ĭuring his playing career, Charles appeared in many innovative and memorable television commercials, for brands including Nike, McDonald’s, Gillette Right Guard, Charles Schwab, and Coca-Cola. He was an NBA All Star 11 times and was a perennial member of the NBA’s All-Interview Team. He also had the honor of repeating as a Dream Team member at the Atlanta Olympics, where he won his second gold medal and again nearly stole the show.įor 16 unforgettable seasons, Charles was a league leader in rebounding and in heart. In 1996, Charles reached a huge career milestone by scoring his 20,000th point and grabbing his 10,000th rebound, a rare double feat in the NBA. In 1993 Charles and the Suns battled his close friend Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. That year he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, which he helped transform into an NBA powerhouse. In 1992, Charles represented the United States and won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the “Dream Team.” It was during these Olympic Games in Barcelona that the rest of the world discovered the personality that American basketball fans already knew.

A 6 foot, 5 inch power forward, he was selected the 1989-90 NBA Player of the Year by both Sporting News and Basketball Weekly and was the MVP of the 1991 NBA All Star Game. He played 16 seasons in the NBA, for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. He attended Auburn University and was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Decade for the 1980s. In the September 2011 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Matt Taibbi wrote that Charles is “alone with Muhammad Ali in having both the gift of speaking his mind with the sense of humor to match.”Ĭharles grew up in Leeds, Alabama, where he was raised by his mother and grandmother. A consummate entertainer, Charles has evolved into a pop culture icon who commands a very large and diverse audience that may not always agree with his opinions, but respects his ability to tell it like it is and speak from the heart. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Charles Barkley has followed up his Hall of Fame basketball career with an Emmy-winning television career.

Charles barkley