Magic Johnson is arguably one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and he helped the team in winning five NBA Championships during his career. While Magic retired from the league in 1996, he also abruptly retired from the NBA in 1991.
The reason behind Magic’s sudden retirement was due to the fact that he contracted the HIV virus. At the time, it was a shocking announcement since most people thought it was a death warrant to get diagnosed with the virus.
Obviously, it led to many people getting incredibly sad after hearing the news. But a lot also came together to show their support for Magic. Among them was Charles Barkley, who changed his number from #34 to #32 in honor of Johnson.
Charles Barkley Clapped Back At Haters After Changing His Jersey Number
While Chuck’s heart was in the right place, #32 for the Philadelphia 76ers belonged to Billy Cunningham, and it was hanging in the rafters. This led to many people calling out Chuck for changing his jersey number.
However, Barkley didn’t let that get to his head and destroyed the haters in an interview. He explained that he didn’t care about people criticizing him for this gesture and simply said it was between him and Magic.
In 1991, Charles Barkley decided to change jersey numbers as a tribute to Magic who had recently retired. A firestorm ensued when 76ers fans hit the radio call-in lines to criticize him for having Billy Cunningham's retired number "pulled down".
This was Chuck's response: pic.twitter.com/BrLqKUtUY6
— Hoops Nostalgia (@HoopsNostalgia) November 2, 2022
“You really think I give a flying f**k about what people on the radio calls think? I really don’t give a f**k about what they are saying on the calling shows. Listen, it’s not about a difference, it’s about a friend. I don’t really give a flying f**k. But you can’t say flying f**k. So I don’t give a F.F. about what they think.”
Barkley made sure to point out that he couldn’t care less about what people thought of his decision. He simply did so to support his friend. Once again, as we mentioned earlier, the controversy was due to Charles wearing a retired jersey number.
Due to that, Charles was berated by a lot of people around the league. Regardless of the outcome of that decision, it must have felt great for Magic Johnson to see his friend show support.
