“It was great. It was never a dull moment. I’ve always said that there’s a better chance that you’ll see another Jordan, another Bird, another Chamberlain, before you’ll see another Charles Barkley… I will be shocked if we ever see somebody like that again.” That’s how 1998 NBA champ Joe Kleine described Sir Charles. However, that wasn’t the only compliment Kleine had for his former Suns teammate.

He believed Barkley played a huge role in his Olympic gold medal win and never hesitated to speak highly of him. But when Chuck heard his name, he didn’t stop taking a hilarious jab at Kleine. Classic old school Barkley!

During Auburn’s game against Ole Miss, Barkley joined Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes. When the question came, why was Charles Barkley so hard to guard? One host said Barkley was “an immovable mass, according to Joe Klein.” He further said, “an immovable mass around the rim. Very skilled, very powerful, and a fierce, fierce competitor is why you are hard to guard.”

Barkley took the praise in stride!

“Well, thank you. I appreciate that from Joe. But number one, you got to buy those shorts. Those are a thing of beauty,” he said. Then Chuck said, “Joe Kleine is one of my favorite people in the world.” But then Chuck started roasting him, and the comic timing works perfectly.

“The only thing I hate about Joe Klein as a fat guy, he’s on the barbecue joint in Arkansas for a hundred years. I’ve never had a slice, a rib, not even one rib, not a brisket, a porky barbecue,” Chuck said. Later, he said, “You know, Joe’s wife, Dana, she’s like a 10. Joe’s like a three and a half,” he quipped.

On the other hand, Kleine never held back his admiration for Barkley. “For being a superstar, he was probably the most accessible,” he once said. “I don’t want to say normal because normal’s not the right word for Charles. But he was very approachable. He was a team-first guy. He wanted to win, and that was his motivation. I came to respect that from him.”

But Kleine’s praise didn’t stop there.

Kleine thanked Barkley for his Olympic Gold

Joe Kleine’s NBA career didn’t quite match the expectations of a sixth overall pick. Drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1985 after a stellar college run at Arkansas, he ended his 15-year stint with modest averages of 4.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. But long before he shared the court with Charles Barkley in Phoenix, Kleine had already lived his best basketball moment—winning Olympic gold in 1984. And just last year, he reflected on that unforgettable experience.

“I still don’t know how I made that team,” Kleine admitted. “Seriously, to this day, I don’t know how the hell I made that team. I mean, I worked hard, but.” The 1984 U.S. men’s basketball team was full of future NBA legends, including Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin. In fact, it was so stacked that head coach Bob Knight made some shocking cuts, leaving out Karl Malone, John Stockton, Joe Dumars, and, most notably, Charles Barkley.

Kleine believes it’s the reason he was part of the team. “I thank Charles every day for letting me make the team and get my gold medal,” he said.

Meanwhile, Barkley had his own take on the situation. According to him, Knight simply didn’t like him. “He was a d—,” Barkley once said about the legendary coach. Knight, on the other hand, claimed Barkley’s lack of defense cost him a spot.

Whatever the reason, Kleine will always be grateful to Barkley. And as for Chuck? He’ll never pass up an opportunity for some friendly trash talk.