Charles Barkley is known for his larger-than-life personality and unfiltered takes, but his latest story on The Steam Room Podcast had everyone in stitches. While chatting with Ernie Johnson and Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, Barkley revealed a hilarious childhood memory about wanting to change his name to “Travis” because of a local athlete he idolized.
The conversation started when Kelce shared that his brother, Travis Kelce, was such a huge fan of Barkley growing up that he would tell neighbors his name was “Charles” just to emulate the Hall of Famer. This revelation prompted Ernie Johnson to bring up Charles Barkley’s own childhood story about desperately wanting a different name.
Ernie Johnson: “Jason, did you have that same desire to one day meet the Chuckster or did you say, oh, round of golf, sure, I’ll go.”
Jason Kelce: “Oh my gosh. I’ll tell you what, when Mike Quick shot me the text, hey, Chuck is going to be in town, he wants to golf. I’m like, dude, this is like pinnacle of things I’ve ever wanted to achieve in meeting a sports figure.”
“But Chuck was like the biggest star in our household. So much so that my brother told all of our neighbors, his name was Charles.Like he wanted to be Charles Barkley so bad.”
Ernie Johnson: “I don’t know if you know this part of that story but when Chuck was a youngster he wanted to be known as Travis not because of your brother but because of a guy in his neighborhood named Travis Abernathy. Right Chuckster?”
Charles Barkley: “100 percent.”
Ernie Johnson: “Did you tell people that your name was Travis?”
Charles Barkley: “I remember telling my mom I said mom I want to change because Travis was like the stud in town. And I said, Mom, I want to change my name to Travis. He says, why? Because he’s the best athlete in our city.”
“I want to change my name, and I’ll be a much better player. And my mom’s like, you’re the biggest damn idiot in the world. You named after your grandfather. I’m not changing your name. And I said, yeah, that’s a perfect example. He’s a nobody.”
Ernie Johnson: “You didn’t say that to your mom.”
Charles Barkley: “That’s exactly what I did.”
Ernie Johnson: “You did not say that to your mother.”
Charles Barkley: “I did. It was her dad.”
Ernie Johnson: “You can’t say that about her dad.”
Charles Barkley: “No disrespect. He was a nobody.”
Ernie Johnson: “What do you mean no disrespect?”
"You did NOT say that to your mother"@TurnerSportsEJ & @JasonKelce couldn't believe Chuck's story about wanting to change his name 🤣 pic.twitter.com/zMWnGTGcfq
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 24, 2025
The story perfectly encapsulated what makes Barkley such a beloved figure—his mix of honesty, humor, and complete lack of a filter. While he never got to be “Travis Barkley,” he ended up becoming one of the most dominant and charismatic players in NBA history under his real name. And as it turns out, sometimes the best name to have is the one you’re given—even if it takes a little convincing to realize it.
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