Charles Barkley was one of the best players in his position in NBA history. The legendary point forward enjoyed a terrific career that only missed the championship. He tried hard in Philadelphia, Phoenix, and even Houston, but luck was never in his favor, finishing his career ringless.
Still, Chuck made the most out of his time in the league, earning a lot of money, but also wasting big amounts thanks to his gambling problem. The former NBA player-turned-analyst has spoken about these problems in the past, even revealing he had lost $1 million between 10 and 15 times.
During an interview on In Depth With Graham Bensinger, the 1993 NBA MVP opened up about his issues:
“I’ve won a million dollars probably four or five times in a single day. I’ve lost a lot more millions in a single day, I’ve lost a million dollars at least 10 to 15, somewhere in there. I probably only won a million five or six times. I’ve lost somewhere between 10 and 20, I can’t get an exact number because we are going back to the ’80s.”
“It got out of hand, but I quit for two years. I remember talking to my friends who said Gambling is not your problem, you’re just an idiot. We’ve sat on a table with you, and you were up 300, 400, 500, 600 thousand dollars, and they said let’s quit. I developed this thing where I have to win a million dollars. Let’s not try to break the casino because you can’t break the casino. Since I developed that mentality, Gambling is a lot more fun to me, to be honest.”
This seems to be a common thing among NBA players, as Michael Jordan also admitted he struggled with his gambling problem. Perhaps Chuck’s friendship with MJ played a role in the big man getting too involved in gambling. Losing $15 million in several nights is a lot, but Charles seems to be fine now.
