Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson proved to be a successful duo on the court for the Phoenix Suns in the 1990s, but the two couldn’t be any more different from each other off the court. Johnson hilariously revealed during an appearance on the Club 520 Podcast that Barkley’s wild lifestyle would lead to them unexpectedly crossing paths.
“Charles was known for going out,” Johnson said. “Like for real going out. And it got to the point where it was just a big joke. So he would be coming in Saturday morning, which is Sunday morning at like 7:00 AM, and I’d be going out ’cause I’m going to church. So he coming from the strip club this way and I’m going to church that way.”
Barkley would hilariously tell Johnson to pray for him. He was too busy having a good time to bother with anything else.
To be fair to Barkley, though, he did lock in when he arrived in Phoenix in a way he never had before. They had acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers in 1992, just before he headed to Barcelona for the Olympics.
Playing for the Dream Team in the summer led to Barkley being in terrific shape for his first season with the Suns. He’d end up winning MVP in 1992-93 after he and Johnson led the team to a league-best 62-20 record.
The Suns would get to the 1993 NBA Finals, but lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. In this episode, Johnson revealed his hilarious reaction when told that he had to guard Jordan after Game 2. The tactic did help the Suns cut a 2-0 deficit to 3-2, but they came up short in the end.
Barkley had believed it was his destiny to beat Jordan and the Bulls, but it wasn’t to be. He would never come particularly close to winning a championship in Phoenix after this defeat.
The Suns would lose to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals in 1994 and 1995. That was followed by a first-round exit at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, and that would be the last time we’d see Barkley in a Suns jersey.
Barkley was traded to the Rockets in 1996 and did make the Conference Finals in his first season in Houston. They’d lose in six games to the Utah Jazz, however, and that was pretty much that. He would never win a playoff series again and eventually retired in 2000.
Barkley finished his 16-year career with averages of 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. To go with that MVP award, he also made 11 All-Star and 11 All-NBA teams. Barkley didn’t win that elusive championship, though, and Johnson wishes he’d have helped him win one.
“I hate watching him on TNT and now ESPN with Kenny [Smith] and Charles, I mean, Kenny and [Shaquille O’Neal],” Johnson said. “And they get on him about not winning a championship… He deserved an NBA championship. That brother fits in that league of elite players that have won an NBA [championship].
“And the fact that he doesn’t pisses me off every time I see him on TV,” Johnson added. “… It’s crazy to sound, I give up me winning the chip for him winning it ’cause that brother deserves it, man. What this dude did on court night in and night out, was exceptional. And I got to watch him get teased.”
Barkley is arguably the greatest player to have never won a championship. As for the teasing on Inside the NBA, the 62-year-old has developed thick skin to the point where it doesn’t bother him anymore, so Johnson doesn’t need to be so upset about it.
