“Holy F**k, I Left College For $75,000”: Charles Barkley Hilariously Recalls Conversation with Agent
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley recalls his reaction to being drafted by the Sixers.
Arguably one of the best power forwards in the game, Charles Barkley’s resume speaks for itself. Despite being too small for his position, the Alabama native exhibited utter dominance in the paint.
Standing 6-foot-5, the former MVP could collect rebounds even while he sleeps.
Hailing from Leeds, Alabama, The Chuckster played college basketball for Auburn University. It was rare to see a player Barkley’s size get the crowd excited with his dunks and blocked shots. So making the NBA was just a matter of time. Surprisingly, Chuck wasn’t too happy about this development.
Preparing to turn pro, Barkley was shocked to learn what his first paycheck would be and expressed his disappointment to his agent. Regarded as the fifth pick in the 1984 draft class that featured the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan, the Sixers had developed an interest in Chuck.
Also Read: “The NBA Made a Big Mistake”: When Charles Barkley Criticized Teams for Blindly Emulating the Warriors
Unfortunately, the sentiment didn’t extend to each other, courtesy of the Philadelphia franchise’s financial troubles.
Charles Barkley didn’t want the Sixers to draft him.
While money may not be an issue for The Chuckster today, given his $50 million net worth, that wasn’t the case before. Born in a small town like Leeds, Barkley led a simple life but dreamed big. Therefore, when he found out that he had been drafted into the NBA, he had mixed reactions.
Narrating the moment, Barkley said: “Then about 3 days before the draft my agent tells me, ‘We need to talk,’ so I told him what’s going on, he says, ‘The Sixers can only give you $75,000,’ he says, they’re done. the limit, and I’m like, man, I didn’t drop out of college for $75,000.”
Inside the NBA analyst narrated D-Day saying: “With the fifth pick in the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Charles Barkley out of Auburn University, and I’m like fuck, I dropped out of college for $75,000.”
Well, we all know what happened later, the classic story of Barkley spending 48 hours at Denny’s just to gain 20 pounds, to avoid meeting the 285-pound criteria, something he had already worked so hard to achieve. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned with the Alabama native going to the Sixers.
Fortunately for Barkley, he had veteran teammates like Julius Erving and Moses Malone who helped him manage his weight and improve his conditioning levels.
Also read: Power forward Charles Barkley, accustomed to “running like Derrick Rose and finishing like Russell Westbrook”
