Charles Barkley appeared on New Heights Podcast, and shares his story of why he didn't want to be in Philadelphia.
When players are going into the NBA, there’s an intricate process when it comes to picking the players they want. In 1984, the Philadelphia 76ers were eyeing one of the best players to ever come out of Auburn, Charles Barkley.
When Barkley sat down on the New Heights Podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, he told the story of how he was drafted by a team he had no desire to play for. Barkley detailed how he went in for a workout, and they said they would draft him if he could drop a few pounds. Barkley obliged by this until he found out from his agent that they could only pay him a certain amount, $45,000 to be exact.
Once Barkley heard that, he made sure to gain all the weight back, and ultimately he was still drafted to the 76ers. If any player did that in today’s game, they would be scrutinized and shamed for their entire career. Despite Barkley not wanting to be there, he had an astounding eight years with Philadelphia.
Barkley collected six straight All-Star votes and four All-NBA First Team honors. During his tenure with the 76ers, Barkley averaged 23.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
It’s interesting how Barkley didn’t want to join the team and also demanded to be traded out of Philadelphia because he didn’t care for the roster and the lack of playoff success. Especially considering how judgmental he is at players who want to go to contenders. That might be why he gives LeBron James such a hard time every chance he can.
Barkley has said on many occasions that he doesn’t believe in joining up with guys to win a championship and that you should do everything you can to win with the team that gave you a chance. So where was that commitment after eight years in Philadelphia? His team may not have been as powerful as the team today. So it’s a little off-putting when Barkley talks about not going to a team due to monetary reasons, when he could have looked at it as a way to change the story of a franchise.
The 76ers today have a great shot to win a title, and all Barkley can say is that James is creating another superteam. Barkley can’t be a hypocrite over James joining teams when he himself kept leaving teams because he too wanted to win a championship or felt the team wasn’t doing what he wanted.
Despite how Barkley’s time in Philadelphia ended, he is one of the 76er greats that many will remember as long as they can remember his name.
