During nearly 60 years of existence, Charles Barkley has lived through many things. Whatever you think about, he probably lived it, good or bad. He made it to the NBA, won an MVP, and became a legend of the beautiful game.
However, he also lived bad moments, even during his tenure in the association. Chuck learned the hard way that not everybody loved him and care about him as they said. For instance, his first agent stole a lot of money from him, which put the player in a complex position.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast, the former Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets player revealed that his first agent stole all of his money, leaving him broke after four years in the NBA.
“I probably got cheated out of 100 million dollars,” Barkley said.
“My first agent was a crook. He stole all my money. I don’t want to mention his name. Lance Luchnick, that’s this asshole’s name… So, he um, he stole… ye-yeah, so he stole all my money. So after four years, I was broke.”
This is not the first time Chuck talks about this. Five years ago, he discussed that situation with Dan Patrick, even saying he would beat the man up if he ever ran into him.
Via CBS Sports:
Barkley: “He stole all my money. He’s a scumbag. If I see him today, I’d blow his damn brains out. I hate that S.O.B. His name is Lance Luchnick. He’s a scumbag.”
Patrick: “Well, how did he take all your money?”
Barkley: “Well back then, I think players are a lot more smarter now. Your agent got your paycheck, he gave you an allowance, and he ‘invested’ the rest of your money. I was getting $15,000 a month allowance just to have fun with and I’m a 21-year old kid. You can’t give me [that money]. I think I was given $15,000 allowance. That came at the first of every month and man I didn’t care. He said, ‘I’m investing the rest.’ I’m like, ‘OK.’ And after four years, I was broke, hadn’t paid taxes. Like I said, I don’t want to mention his name — Lance Luchnick.”
Patrick: “You don’t mean that you would shoot him.”
Barkley: “If I carried a gun, I would.”
Patrick: “No.”
Barkley: “I probably won’t have a gun when I see him, but I’d probably beat his ass down like a dog.
Chuck said that he learned how to take care of his finances later, thanks to Grant Hill’s mom. That was enough for him to make better decisions when it came to money. Fortunately, he’s been doing fine, hitting the bank in the league and even after he retired from the game.
These stories are wild, but they’re very likely to happen. You never know who could be plotting against you. Charles learned that the hard way, losing everything he had at the time.
