Charles Barkley has had his share of success and controversies. While the 11-time NBA All-Star has been one of the greatest players to have played the sport, he’s also had some incidents that shaped him into a better person by his own admission.
The events of his life have been well-documented. Be it the time he was arrested for gambling or for DUI, there have been instances where the “Round Mound of Rebound” had his share of trouble with the law. However, one incident that left a scar and changed him was his infamous spitting on a little girl.
In one of the games against the New Jersey Nets, Barkley was ridiculed by fans sitting courtside, and things came to a head in the final quarter when he spat on a fan in anger. Only, that the spit flew everywhere, and one of the fans to have taken the brunt of it was an eight-year-old girl.
Charles Barkley Reveals The Turnaround After The Spitting Fiasco
The former star admitted to feeling horrible about how the incident panned out and spent time reflecting on his actions. Soon after the controversy, he was fined $10,000 by the league, along with a suspension without pay for a game.
Speaking to Graham Bensinger, Charles Barkley revealed how he was a hot-headed young man when he burst onto the big stage. He relived the time he hated his Spanish teacher and how she was one of the reasons behind his simmering anger.
“When I first got to the NBA, I was angry. I was angry at Ms. Gomez. Ms. Gomez is my high school Spanish teacher. I flunked that [class]. I didn’t get to graduate, I had to go to summer school. So I hated Ms. Gomez.”
He further explained how his father played a key role in disciplining him for not graduating. While these further fueled his anger, the spitting incident changed him after forcing him to question himself.
“I was sitting in a hotel room and was like, ‘Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? What are you so angry about?’ From that day forward, every time I played basketball, I said, ‘Just let people see your talent. You don’t have to be mad at anybody else.’ And so that was the turnaround for me.”
After the 1992 season, the Philadelphia 76ers traded him to the Phoenix Suns. A new and transformed Barkley displayed his maturity by playing some stellar basketball for a new team and carrying them to the NBA Finals.
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