Charles Barkley is often mocked for not winning a championship. Playing a total of 16 years in the league, the 1993 MVP couldn’t find success in the finals. Well, this sometimes has left him out of the same conversation as former greats like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, etc. The modern-gen fans might never understand it. But we have Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett to shed some light on Barkley’s legacy.?

During a podcast episode with ESPN’s famous Stephen. A. Smith, the 2008 NBA champion shared some insight into the toughest stars he has played against. Comparing Barkley with a 5-time NBA champion, Kevin Garnett might have put an end to the “no rings” talks.?

Kevin Garnett compares Charles Barkley to a Spurs ‘Killer’

?The ‘Big Ticket’ has played has guarded several NBA greats, or to be precise, some of the best forwards in the league. Zach Randolph, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, etc. He’s the only player to face off against MJ’s Bulls and Stephen Curry’s Warriors. In that time, he has seen all sorts of players. In fact, KG believes that Charles Barkley was a ‘killer’ when it came to competing.?

Garnett shared in the podcast,?“I was a fierce competitor… I wanted to rip your s*** up, I wanted to dunk on your a***, I wanted you to go 0 for 12, I wanted to shut you down.” Smith questioned, “So was that the case with everybody, or was there ever anything extra for a particular opponent?”

KG replied,?“I’ll be honest. When I played Timmy, it was special, it was different. I knew the IQ, I knew the moves, I knew the thinking.” Then, Garnett went on to put Barkley in the same conversation as 5-time NBA champion Tim Duncan.?

The 2004 NBA MVP added, “Same thing when I played Chuck…In order to play a great player, you have to be on the same lines of the thinking and offensively they’re coming at you with tenacity. When you go into a match-up, those guys are all killers.”

Watch this story: “How did Michael Jordan comparisons hampered multiple MVPs for LeBron James? Gilbert Arenas explains”

High praise from the ‘Big Ticket’. But to what extent is his comparison valid?

How was Barkley’s game similar to Tim Duncan’s?

Charles Barkley was undersized for a forward. The Philadelphia 76ers legend was just 6’6 when compared to other bigs like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett who were 6’11.

Despite this huge disadvantage, nothing could stop Barkley from grabbing the rebounds. His technique of boxing out and securing the ball amid 7 footers was one of the reasons he became a legend, and the?Round Mound of Rebound.

Read more: Kevin Garnett Issues Passionate Plea For Stephen Curry by Invoking Isiah Thomas

Barkley stands at the 19th position in the All-Time rebounds list, which is filled with centers and near-seven-foot forwards. To be able to achieve this, the ‘killer’ mindset is required, which Garnett emphasized.?

Hope this is enough for the hoop fans to understand how legendary Barkley was! What are your thoughts on the above story? Share your take in the comments below.?

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