Charles Barkley is one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. That is the reason he was part of the 75th anniversary team without ever winning a championship in the league. In 1984, before getting drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, Barkley was not looked forward to as an NBA-ready prospect. This was because of his small stature and him being overweight at the time.

Years later, this Detroit Pistons‘ legend shares his initial view of Charles Barkley and how he was able to surprise him and dominate on the court when he went up against Barkley.

Charles Barkley surprised Isiah Thomas with his skill

Isiah Thomas was asked about Charles Barkley when he made the NBA 75th anniversary team. Isiah Thomas shared his experience of seeing Charles Barkley for the first time. He said that he saw a picture of Barkley and that he seemed overweight. This made him think that the 76ers made a mistake by drafting him. The 76ers at the time had Julius Erving and Moses Malone, so Thomas thought that they should have added someone who would be a good player as soon as he got to the league.

But Thomas was surprised when he went up against the 76ers. He was mesmerized by what Barkley was able to do on the court. Zeke said Barkley was able to take the ball off the rim, dribble, and go full court with the ball. He then said that he had to check if he was dreaming when Charles Barkley jumped off the floor.

He then goes on to continue talking about Barkley’s greatness on the court. Thomas is happy that he turned out to be an exceptional player and was not upset about being proven wrong. But he is not happy with his arch nemesis, Michael Jordan, for what he did to him in the NBA.

The feud between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan

The biggest controversy that floated around Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan was the exclusion of Thomas from the 1992 Dream Team. Jordan often stayed away from talking about it and only mentioned that he had no part in it. But recently, it was revealed that Jordan told Chuck Daly, the head coach of the dream team, that he would not play if Isiah Thomas was included in the team.

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Charles Barkley said that Jordan has been lying about this forever. Barkley and Jordan used to be close friends back in the day. But after having a fallout with Jordan following his comments towards MJ regarding the ownership and management of the Charlotte Hornets, Barkley is also not on good terms with Jordan anymore. They haven’t talked to each other in 12 years.

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