Honest Charles, the "Round Mound of
Rebound"
Greg Van
Voorhis
Bronx Journal Sports Editor
Who said that Charles Barkley was
not a role model? Oh yeah; he did. Well, if in fact he isn’t, then he
should be.
When you hear the name Charles
Barkley, lots of things come to mind: bar fights, slam dunks, the Hall
of Fame, a mouth that never stops, a “back down from nobody”
attitude, and much, much more. But if you were asked to describe Charles
Barkley in one single word, that word would have to be “honest,” and
if you could stretch it to two words, then, “brutally honest.”
Throughout Charles Barkley’s
illustrious basketball career, we’ve felt many different emotions for
him. There were the times when we would get excited when he would slam a
ball down over a guy a foot taller than he. Then there were times when
we would get mad at him for getting into trouble with the law or getting
thrown out of a game for who knows what. And there were the times when
Charles would shock us, like when he said that after he retires from the
game of basketball, he will be running for governor of Alabama. But
those who really follow the game, mainly feel two emotions for “Sir
Charles:” 1) sympathy for a man, who has put his heart and soul into
the game of basketball for the past fifteen years, and has fallen short
of the greatest achievement the game has to offer, an NBA championship,
and 2) pride for a man, who at 6 feet 4 inches, played night in and
night out, and flourished at a position where the average height is half
a foot taller than his.
But through
thick and thin, we always knew where we stood with Charles. He
let everyone know exactly what he was feeling at that moment, and he
never kept any secrets. If he felt he was getting treated unfairly by a
certain referee, he’d say so (he forked over bundles of cash for this,
since there is a fine for such an act); if he thought his teammates
weren’t playing up to par, he’d say so (sorry Scottie, but you
weren’t); when asked about the direction of the game and about the
younger players in the league, he let it all out (Allen Iverson and he
made up the day after
Charles retired.)
So what exactly has Charles done
that warrants such appreciation? Well, let’s just say that it was
an accomplishment just for him to make it to the NBA. At
6’4,” he is one of the smallest power forwards in the past few
decades of the league. Coming out of Auburn, he was not known for his
scoring, but for his tremendous rebounding ability. His ability to box
out and outleap his opponents for the basketball became his ticket to
the NBA in 1985. He was selected fifth by the Philadelphia 76ers that
year, just two spots after a certain Michael Jordan.
In college, he was given the
nickname “the Round Mound of Rebound,” because he was a plump guy
who owned any rebound that came near him.
Fifteen years later, Charles
leaves the game having averaged 11.7 rebounds per game for his career,
and he led the league in rebounds in 1987 with 14.6 per game. More
surprisingly though, Charles was able to average 22.2 points per game
over his career, which was simply an amazing feat, considering that
until making it to the NBA, he was not known for his scoring. Charles
even went on to win the
NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1993, when he took his Phoenix Suns to
the NBA Finals, but lost in 6 games to Michael’s Chicago Bulls.
Charles won two gold medals, when he was a member of both the 1992 and
1996 Olympic basketball teams, playing on both Dream Team I and II. He
was a nine time All-Star, winning All-Star MVP in 1991. He was named to
the all-NBA first team five times, second team four times, and third
team once. He made the All-Rookie team in 1985. In 1996, Charles Barkley
was named one of NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, and will soon be headed to
Springfield, Massachusettes as a Hall of Famer. Not bad for a guy who no
one thought could compete at the professional level.
Okay, okay, so it’s not all
peaches and cream with “Sir Charles,” another nickname Barkley has
received. Charles has been in his share of fights, and run-ins with the
law. Most recently, after being fouled a little too hard by 7-foot, 330
pound Shaquille O’Neal, Barkley threw the basketball at his head,
dodged a left hook from the retaliating Shaq, and proceeded to plunge
Shaq to the ground hard, where he was able to get a punch or two in to
Shaq’s head before being dragged off the floor by his teammates. Now
that was a sight to see, and a clear example of his “back down from
nobody attitude” I mentioned earlier.
Then, there were the bar
incidents, and the spitting incidents, and his admitted alcohol
problems. But Charles never denied any, nor did he put the blame on
anyone else. “Honest Charles” took the heat for his actions, as he
should have. He understands that even though he is a professional
athlete and is in the limelight, he deserves no special treatment. He
even went as far as to say in a television commercial that he is not a
role model.
This commercial, which came out in
the early 90’s, became a hot topic very quickly in America. Many
people were quick to jump down Charles’ throat. These people wanted to
know how a professional basketball player, who is on television, being
watched, idolized, and imitated everyday by any child who catches sight
of him, could say that he was not a role model. And they were right. How
could a professional athlete show up on television and just deny all responsibility
for the children of the world whom he was influencing. But these people
did not understand the message Charles was trying to send out. It was
not that he is not a role
model, but that he should not be one. He later explained that a man who
plays a sport should not have the same degree of influence on young kids
as teachers and parents should. By saying that he was not a role model,
he believed that children should look up to their mothers and fathers,
teachers and mentors, before ever looking up to a “mythical figure”
who appears on the television. And Charles was right.
So what is it about Charles
Barkley that makes him so special? It’s everything about him: his
million dollar smile, his love and appreciation for the game and those
who played it before he did, the magic he brings to the people he meets
in hospitals, his tough-guy attitude which he uses to hide the soft
teddy bear personality he keeps hidden inside-- everything.
Charles is one of the few examples
of what’s right with sports today. He plays for the love of the game,
and he never lets his money make him lose sight of who he is. He never
let his ego get the best of him. He never changed after the sneaker
endorsements when other people who wanted a piece of Charles Barkley
were knocking down his door. He always had time to sign thousands of
autographs for kids before and after games. He’s still the same old,
round kid who came into the NBA in 1985, just stronger, older, and most
importantly wiser.
 |
| |
Barkley, waving
to fans in Boston, just days after suffering career ending injury.
Charles was honored with a piece of the original Boston Garden
floorboard. |
When Charles was doing an
interview with a reporter, he was asked why so many
athletes who are making millions of dollars don’t do good
things with the money. And after the interview he thought about it for a
while and said, “it really annoyed me, because it was true.” But
Charles decided that he would change that.
Instead of retiring after last season, which he was planning on
doing, he decided to come back for one more go-around, and give a large
sum of his salary to places that needed it more than he did.
This past summer Charles signed a
one-year contract extension that would pay him approximately $9 million.
This would give him an opportunity to do something nice with his
money, and give him one more chance at winning the NBA championships.
When asked what he was planning on doing with the money, Charles said," I'm
going to give my high school a million dollars. I’m going to give
Auburn a million dollars. And there’s a great school here in
Birmingham called Cornerstone Schools; they do a really great job with
the inner-city kids, and I’m going to give them a million dollars.”
Unfortunately, on December 8th,
1999, Charles suffered a career ending injury in the same city where he
started off his career, Philadelphia. After getting his shot blocked by
rookie Todd MacCulloch, Charles ran back on defense. As Tyronne Hill of
the Philadelphia 76ers made his move to the basket, Charles went up to
block his shot and came down awkwardly on his left leg. He fell to the
floor in pain and signaled to the team trainer that something was very
wrong with his leg. He knew almost immediately after that his career was
over.
After Charles cried for hours in
the locker room after the injury, he called his wife on the phone and
said, “It’s over.”
Well, Charles was wrong. It’s
not over, it’s just the beginning. The beginning of a new chapter in
Charles’ life. Whether we’ll see him as a commentator, or coach, or
even living out his dream of being governor of Alabama, Charles will
always be in the spotlight. Those who were lucky enough to watch Charles
play the game, or hear him talk after a game, or at a press conference,
were truly blessed, because in fact, there will never be another Charles
Barkley... or “Sir Charles”... or “Round Mound of Rebound”...
or, as I like to call him, “Honest Charles.” |
