via Getty
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 21: Charles Barkley looks on prior to game three of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on May 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
via Getty
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 21: Charles Barkley looks on prior to game three of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on May 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Barkley is past his fiery days in his second act as a sportscaster. But Sir Charles can still be hot-headed when aggravated. For one comedic star though, annoying Charles Barkley felt like winning a championship. Their chance encounter was set up by popular TV host, Conan O’Brien.
O’Brien has hosted Chuck several times and counts him as a friend. He tried to widen Barkley’s social circle once beyond the borders. It, however, nearly went wrong when his $2 million actor friend forgot how close Auburn University is to the 1993 MVP’s heart.
Conan O’Brien’s friend annoyed Charles Barkley
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Conan O’Brien has been a friend of Charles Barkley for a long time and the latter has also been on his shows multiple times, so the host has a fair few anecdotes about the NBA legend. One of them involved Flula Borg, the latest guest on the podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend.
The German-born comedic actor is a fan of basketball and the NBA. So O’Brien made Borg’s “dream come true.” Borg was a huge fan of the 1980s NBA which he consumed through VHS in Germany. The last NBA game he ever saw on tape was the 1993 game between the Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were the obvious stars of the finals.
“You let me meet a very nice man named Charles Barkley,” Borg narrated. They didn’t say when but it was when the two funnymen were in a bar in Atlanta. Someone called out to Conan who recognized that person. So he brought Borg over and introduced him to Sir Charles. “You pissed him off,” O’Brien described how that encounter went. But why?
The Pitch Perfect star was filled with such “wondrous joy,” he couldn’t come up with a word in English. His German spilled out and Barkley couldn’t understand him. They joked that Borg’s fanny pack, the fact that he messed up Barkley’s college name, and his overflowing German put off Chuck.
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But they said Charles was a “real gentleman” while getting rid of Flula Borg. “He gave me [O’Brien] and security a signal,” the take show host recalled. That was his and security’s cue to get Flula Borg away from Barkley.
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Charles Barkley’s comedy chops
O’Brien and Borg could be joking about Barkley sticking his security on them. He actually has a good sense of humor. That showed when he hosted Saturday Night Live four times.
His most iconic moment was his spot-on impression of Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq may be a little threatened he can’t live up to it. So he’s making the usual, “I ain’t got time,” excuse to not go on SNL.
READ MORE: “You Can’t Dribble”: Charles Barkley Disses Shaquille O’Neal After Heated Argument Breaks on Live TV
We need to see Barkley and Flula Borg interact soon. Fingers crossed, Chuck doesn’t call security on the actor again.
