Charles Barkley’s Sudden Health Obsession on 62nd Birthday Leaves TNT Employees Puzzled

You’d never expect to see Charles Barkley and a bowl of salad in the same room—let alone together on a plate. He once said, “That’s like when you go to these salad places, and they got five different types of lettuce. I’m like ‘NO’; there’s not five types, it’s just lettuce. They’re all the same, they’re called lettuce.” So, imagine the shock if you caught Sir Charles munching on greens. That’s exactly what happened on his 62nd birthday, leaving his TNT crew in absolute disbelief.

“62 didn’t change his whole life. I’m eating a salad, man. I’m eating a salad,” Kenny Smith mimicked, still trying to process what he had witnessed. Smith even admitted, “I couldn’t believe it, man. I’ve never seen anything green on his plate.” 

Meanwhile, Chuck had a simple explanation: “I’m taking better care of him.” Whether this is a temporary experiment or the start of a new Barkley era remains to be seen.

But of course, the TNT crew wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. On a recent episode of Inside the NBA, Ernie Johnson made Barkley an irresistible offer: If he made one more prediction, they would treat Chuck with his favorite lemon bars, and another surprise item.

Without hesitation, Chuck belted out his signature “Guar-ON-tee!” But instead of just sweet treats, kale started raining down on him. Johnson couldn’t help but tease, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s kale, Chuck’s favorite.”

And if you know Barkley, kale is anything but his favorite. “Kale is not a thing. Kale is just lettuce, they changed the name so they can charge you more,” he once ranted.

But birthday pranks aside, Chuck already had his own request for a gift. The real question is—did it involve anything green?

What is Charles Barkley’s birthday gift?

Well, Charles Barkley didn’t ask for much on his 62nd birthday—just one simple wish. During Team USA’s final practice ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off Final against Canada, Barkley hopped on a FaceTime call with American forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Dylan Larkin. And, true to form, he got straight to the point about what he really wanted.

“Man, I’m doing great,” Barkley said when they asked how he was feeling. “I can’t wait for tomorrow night. I’m gonna celebrate my birthday in style watching you guys kick some a– brother.” It wasn’t about fancy parties or extravagant gifts—just a good old-fashioned win from Team USA.

And Tkachuk didn’t hesitate. “We have to,” he promised. “We have to. It’s big. Everyone is gonna be watching this.”

And while the entire USA Hockey team did sign a jersey for Barkley as a birthday gift, they all knew what would really make his day. As Chuck himself might say, nothing beats a win. Can Team USA deliver? Guess we’ll find out soon enough.