“I’ve got to stop drinking… It has been affecting my game” — now that Charles Barkley no longer has to play, the commitment seems to be coming loose. The revelation came on NBA on TNT, when Blake Griffin indulged in a discussion regarding The Match. Yep, the 10th edition of the Golf showdown broadcasted by TNT, which this time featured stars like Barkley, Griffin, Bill Murray, Michael Phelps and more. No doubt that the experience would’ve been memorable. It was the details of this experience, however, that shed light on Barkley’s returning habit.

During his appearance on The Steam Room, Griffin was asked the best part about being part of The Game. “Honestly, the time, like, off the course, like, we hung out at the hotel most nights,” he replied. The ex-LA Clippers star further pointed out the learning experience as well that came from hanging out with people successful in their field. “That was a lot of laughing and a lot of drinking going on. We had a blast,” Barkley added to it.

Now, if you have followed Barkley’s journey, you’d know he had grown cautious about drinking during his time in the league. “I’ve got to stop drinking. I drink way too much and it has been affecting my game… I haven’t played as well as I would have liked to this season, and obviously drinking has something to do with it,” he said via LA Times back in 1998. He further admitted that he had been consistently wearing his body down with this practice.

He even played a game with the Philadelphia 76ers once, under the influence. But in all fairness, he was celebrating his reported departure from the franchise itself. Picture this–Barkley, then with the 76ers, went out celebrating what he believed was a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. But hours later, his agent called with bad news—the deal had fallen through. “My agent calls me back about three hours later. He said, ‘The Sixers pulled out the deal.’ And we got a game that night. I don’t remember anything about that game.”

Well, he no longer has games to be a part of.

The time when Charles Barkley was out drinking at a retirement party

Barkley’s larger-than-life personality always promises great stories. And his night at Jesse Ventura’s retirement party was no exception. Sharing the tale on The Steam Room, Barkley revealed how a night of drinking gin with Navy SEALs turned into one of his roughest mornings.

As he explains, after the party had wound down, Barkley found himself in a suite with Ventura—himself a former Navy SEAL—and his friends. Soon, the gin started making rounds, and Chuck, understandably, asks, “Where’s the mixer?” What he got in return was a reality check no one could prepare for. “Son, we were in Vietnam. What do you think we had time to get mixers?” one of Ventura’s friends shot back.

Barkley would soon pass out and only wake up at 3 pm the next afternoon, missing his flight. Seems like it is nothing to worry about for the 76ers star any longer.