Charles Barkley recently admitted that he was scared for once when he met Mike Krzyzewski for the first time. Curiously, it had nothing to do with basketball or anything like that. In fact, Chuck gave away the keys of his minibar to Coach K’s daughter during the 1992 Summer Olympics, starting a very awkward situation.
In a recent interview with “The Steam Room” podcast, Chuck was asked about the first time he met the legendary Duke coach. He told the story of when he was scared of the coach (12:20).
Via Sports Casting:
“I’ve never been this scared in my life,” Barkley explained on a recent episode of The Steam Room. “So we’re playing on the Dream Team, and one of coach’s daughters asks me, ‘Charles, can I go get a couple of beers out of your minibar?’ Scottie [Pippen], Michael [Jordan], me, and Magic played cards every single night. So his daughter says, ‘Charles, can I go get a couple of beers out your minibar?’ I said, ‘Of Course.’ I give her my key. When I get back to the room about five hours later … my minibar is empty.”
Given that he inadvertently provided Krzyzewski’s daughter with an entire minibar’s worth of alcohol, Barkley was a bit uneasy when he crossed paths with the coach.
“I get to practice the next day. Coach K is on one end [of the floor], I’m on the other end,” Sir Charles continued. “Coach K comes to the other end, I’m circling, bending, and getting to the other end. I don’t want to get close to this man. … Listen, I’m terrified.”
At the end of the session, the moment of truth finally arrived as Krzyzewski asked Barkley if they could talk. While Chuck quickly told his side of the story and apologized, Coach K wasn’t upset with the forward. “He said, ‘It’s alright, it wasn’t your fault. It was her fault,’” Sir Charles added.
Good thing that Coach K wasn’t mad at Chuck. They talked things out and solved the situation. Still, Charles probably stopped giving his keys away so quickly after that moment. Imagine all the pressure he must have felt during those hours.
