?I Left College for $75000?: NBA Legend Charles Barkley, Who Deliberately Gained Weight Before the Draft, Was Startled After Being Selected by the 76ers

Despite his short stature, Charles Barkley was one of the most dominating power forward in the history of the game. He was a rebounding machine who earned the monicker ‘Round Mound of Rebound’. His NBA career started with the Philadelphia 76ers, however, it wasn’t the team Barkley wanted to go to.

In a recent interview, Barkley mentioned he was surprised to be drafted by the 76ers. He even tried to make sure the Sixers wouldn’t draft him, but it didn’t work out for him. Barkley weighed around 295 lbs in college and he was advised by the 76ers owner to reduce his weight to be drafted.

Barkley started working hard and reduced his weight to 280 lbs in a month. However, things took a turn when his agent told him, “The Sixers can only give you $75000. They’re over the cap, they can’t give you a regular rookie deal“. This left the Alabama native shocked, and he decided to increase his weight so that the Sixers wouldn’t draft him.

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“We went to some bar in the afternoon and got like the biggest cheeseburger, fries, dessert,” Barkley said. He even drank tons of water. This worked out for him, as he gained almost 20 pounds in just three days.

Charles Barkley’s weight gain incensed the 76ers owner

Barkley’s weight increase left the Philadelphia 76ers owner incensed. “I get on the scale I weigh like 301 and the owner calls me every freaking name in the book,” Barkley said. He couldn’t help but laugh when the owner was shouting at him.

Assuming he had dodged a bullet, Barkley went to the draft, satisfied with his antics. However, the 76ers still selected him with the fifth pick in the 1984 draft, which left the former MVP stunned. Barkley revealed his exact reaction to him being selected by the Sixers. “I’m like, ‘holy f**k’. I left college for $75000“, Barkley thought disappointedly.

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Eventually, things turned out well for the 11-time All-Star. He became a household name with the Sixers and got to play with legends like Moses Malone and Julius Erving. This pushed him to even greater heights and he eventually reached the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns while being named the league MVP in 1993.

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