Many NBA legends that fans have grown up watching and idolizing aren?t that young anymore. It is difficult to imagine how the last time Shaquille O?Neal dunked a ball in the NBA was over a decade ago. It has been over 20 years that Michael Jordan fans have witnessed ‘His Airness’ score over 30 points in a game. Age is seemingly catching up with the legends and Charles Barkley recently acknowledged the fact with a bit of heartbreaking news in a podcast.

In his recent podcast appearance with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley gave his best wishes to a dear friend from his college days. Although Barkley never played alongside him, he had nothing but good wishes for the Louisiana State University legend.

Charles Barkley poured his heart out for his friend, Leonard Mitchell

In the recent episode of The Steam Room, Charles Barkley mentioned his dear friend, Leonard Mitchell, who is dealing with a challenging health situation. According to Barkley, Mitchell was the toughest opponent he faced, even though Shaquille O?Neal was the best player from LSU.?

?Best player I?ve played against in college is a player named, Leonard Mitchell,? said Barkley. He further added ?and he got hurt in college and never made it to the NBA and I just want to tell him man, ?I wish you nothing but the best, you got the wrong end of the stick when you got hurt in college? and I got a text from a friend, he told he had his leg amputated and I just wanted to wish Leonard the best.??

Furthermore, Barkley mentioned that even though Shaq was the greatest player out of LSU, Mitchel would have been a force in the NBA if he wasn?t injured. The Philadelphia 76ers legend seemed very fond of Mitchell, as it wasn?t the first time he gave his best wishes to the LSU great.?

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Barkley gave his best wishes to Mitchell on his TNT show

The 11-time All-Star previously wished for the LSU great?s good health live on television, as he gave a shout-out to Shaq?s senior on NBA on TNT. Although at the time the current state of Mitchell was unclear, Barkley cleared it up in his recent podcast.?

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The 60-year-old is extremely fond of his friends, as there are numerous stories of him enjoying life with his childhood buddies. Needless to say, his friends reciprocate the same feelings toward him.