Years Before His ‘Million Dollar’ Confession, Charles Barkley Once Made a Daunting ‘Humiliating’ Remark

Charles Barkley‘s heart of gold is better than his golf swing. But that’s what we love about him. He came from a difficult background and since finding stardom, has done everything in his power to help others. From advocating for social justice to standing up for young athletes’ rights, Barkley is always standing front and center. And if being the butt of jokes helps people, he’ll gladly do that too.

In fact, he has wholeheartedly made a fool of himself for a good cause. Recently, Barkley said he’d like to help more and more people. Before that admission, he had already let people laugh at his golf game.

Charles Barkley’s embarrassing game still haunts him

It must be a rare case where golf fans are not looking forward to a charity golf game. But when Charles Barkley plays, spectators watch the train wreck on the course through their fingers. As much as the NBA legend loves golf, it doesn’t channel into his swing. He’ll still keep at it, which is admirable too.

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Golf also ties in with Barkley’s charity work. In 2020, he teamed up with a longtime golf buddy, Phil Mickelson, for Capital One’s The Match. Viewers were anticipating another game of ‘The Chuckster’s’ bad form and terrible swing.

Ahead of that event, Golfweek asked him why he would willingly look silly playing golf on TV. His answer spoke volumes of Chuck’s philanthropic nature.

“I was invited and I wasn’t going to turn that down. Plus, the cause is near and dear to my heart. I don’t mind embarrassing or humiliating myself for a great cause,” he said.

This isn’t an empty statement. After supporting several students in HBCUs, Barkley wants to do more. That led him to make one of his most potent statements recently. “And one of my goals has been, and I’ve done for the last, I think 13 years, to give a million dollars a year away to charity so I started obviously with my high school, my college, and another school at Alabama.”

So clowning on the golf course is no big deal for him. But the jokes are on his critics. Barkley and Mickelson ended up winning in The Match that year.

A PGA Champion roasted Barkley

His kind gestures don’t make the ‘Round Mound of Rebound’ free from some good-natured ribbing. It’s a good thing he’s thick-skinned because even Tiger Woods trolled his former golf buddy.

Before their friendship ended in 2009, Barkley and Woods hit the greens together often. A video from one of their games is circulating the Internet and giving fans a good laugh. The PGA titan imitated Barkley’s awkward swing, much to onlookers’ amusement.

Woods has imitated Barkley’s swing in another video before. He even teased him in interviews several times. But that’s okay. Sir Charles did say he can take a joke.

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