NBA legend Charles Barkley was not perfect during his playing career. The 1993 NBA MVP was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism, especially for not leading the team to a title. However, he is still considered one of the best players ever. After retiring, Barkley has become one of the most loved basketball analysts ever for his hilarious antics on TV. Over the years, Chuck has opened up about some interesting things in his career. He recently talked about the time he played so drunk that he does not even remember the team he played against.
During his career, Barkley was criticized a lot for his off-the-court activities like gambling, food habits, drinking, etc. Also, there were trade rumors which got on his nerves during the end of his tenure in Philadelphia.
Charles Barkley on his “drunk” game
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Charles Barkley played for the Philadelphia 76ers for eight seasons. However, he could not lead the team to the promised land which resulted in extreme criticism. Furthermore, the trade rumors about his exit also garnered some heat from the fans. This led to Barkley deciding to leave the team, and he requested a trade. Recently, the 11-time NBA All-Star opened up about the time the Sixers almost traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers during a podcast appearance with Barstool Sports.
During the sit-down, Barkley said that his agent broke him the news about a possible trade to the Lakers one afternoon. The 1991 All-Star MVP was excited to leave and decided to celebrate with friends. However, his agent called a few hours later to let him know the 76ers pulled out of the trade. Interestingly, Chuck was drunk celebrating, and the 76ers had a game that night.
Charles Barkley once played a game completely shit faced because he thought he was getting traded to the Lakers and went out and partied before the trade fell through. @spittinchiclets pic.twitter.com/JL7pMFR97G
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 18, 2023
Talking about the incident he recounted, “I said, ‘Man I’m drunk as s**t right now. We got a game tonight.’ He says, ‘What are you gonna do?’ I says, ‘Well, Imma play, I mean I gotta play. I wanna be professional.’ And I have zero idea of how I played that night. I just was so pissed.”
When one of the hosts asked about his stats for the game, the Hall of Famer replied he does not remember. Furthermore, he admitted that he does not even remember who he played against that night.
Barkley leaves fans in splits?
Fans loved the hilarious story of Charles Barkley playing drunk in the NBA. Many fans shared their take on the video clip shared on Twitter. Here are some reactions:
God damn Chuck is a national treasure.
— The Black Wolf (@SC_BlackWolf) May 18, 2023
Love Chuck https://t.co/2zbZmrPzer
— Sheldon (@Sheldon_8020) May 18, 2023
Chuck is awesome https://t.co/xk2m49QU56
— Grant F (@Grant_Croft) May 18, 2023
Most fans were full of praise for Barkley as an entertainer. Also, some fans expressed their love for Chuck’s delivery of the story even though he has talked about it multiple times.
Story still good even though he has told it a million times 😂
— ////////////////////////////// (@Modekongen) May 18, 2023
How can you not love Chuck and his stories https://t.co/fhoDAutegK
— Ty (@Ty_Bets1) May 18, 2023
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Great story https://t.co/cDKj3psZYS
— RIPFIZZ (@biggestloser502) May 18, 2023
During the show, Barkley also said that it was the only time he played drunk. However, he admitted that he has played games hungover. Interestingly, this apparently applies to his golf tournaments as well. He was once seen starting his own late-night party before a golf game.
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What do you think about Charles Barkley’s story of playing drunk? Let us know your thoughts.