Charles Barkley is one of the most legendary NBA players of all time. He is a former league MVP and one of the pillars of ’90s basketball. He carried his Phoenix Suns to an NBA Finals but was bested by Michael Jordan ultimately. Sadly, Barkley would never reach those highs again and age out of the league fairly quickly. Now he is a TV analyst and can be seen feuding with Kevin Durant.
One of the key ways to identify Barkley’s unique frame on the court was to look for someone who’s playing with the 7-footers but is much shorter compared to them. Despite that, Barkley was one of the best interior players of his generation and an absolute monster when it came to pulling down rebounds for his team.
Sir Charles achieved all of this without even putting in the effort to stay in shape. Barkley was known to struggle with his weight during his NBA career. His practice habits may indicate why he struggled to keep in shape, as former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Jayson Williams revealed.
“I remember going to my first practice with Charles Barkley at the time – who didn’t practice, who never practiced! In 2 years, he practiced twice. He used to come in and get on the stationary bike and ride 1 mile an hour.”
Charles Barkley Didn’t Need Practice To Dominate
Charles Barkley was an incredible player during his time in the NBA. He averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists over his career. He managed a 16-year career in the NBA, but injury issues derailed the latter half of his career.
In the 2 seasons Barkley played with Williams in Philadelphia, he proved why he didn’t need to practice as hard as the others. He averaged 25.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, as he was clearly the best player on the team.
Williams and Barkley would leave the 76ers in the same year, with Barkley moving to the Phoenix Suns for the best portion of his career and Williams to the New Jersey Nets, where he would play 8 seasons and retire.
