Charles Wade "Chuck" Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and current analyst on the TNT television program Inside the NBA, alongside Ernie Johnson, and fellow former NBA players Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith.
Barkley was born and raised in Leeds, Alabama. He was the first African-American born at an all-white hospital and was in the first group of African-American boys at his elementary school. He attended Leeds High School and Auburn University, where he played for the Auburn Tigers in college.
NBA Career[]
Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three teams. Though shorter than the typical power forward, he used his strength and aggressiveness to become one of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star, an 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and the 1993 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Barkley is considered one of the greatest basketball players to never win a championship during their career; he brought the Suns to the Finals in 1993, but they lost to the Chicago Bulls (which at the time were captained by Michael Jordan) in six games.
An All-American power forward at Auburn University, Barkley was drafted as a junior by the Philadelphia 76ers with the fifth pick of the 1984 NBA draft. In his rookie season, Barkley was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985. In the 1986–87 season, Barkley led the league with the highest rebounding average and earned his first NBA rebounding title. He was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1991, and in 1993 with the Phoenix Suns, he was voted the league's MVP. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, winning two gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team. In 2000, he retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists.[2] Since his retirement, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James have joined the 20K/10K/4K Club.[3] Barkley is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2006 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team".[4][5]
Barkley was popular with the fans and media and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for his last 13 seasons in the league.[6] He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, as in March 1991 when he spat on a young girl while attempting to spit at a heckler,[7] and 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models.[8] He announced his retirement at age 37 in 2000, after sixteen years in the NBA.
Post-NBA Career[]
Since retiring as a player, Barkley has had a successful career as an NBA analyst. He works for TNT on Inside the NBA alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson as a studio pundit for its coverage of NBA games (for which he has won four Sports Emmy Awards).[9] In addition, Barkley has written several books and has shown an interest in politics.
SNL[]
He hosted Saturday Night Live 4 times: The first time he made his hosting debut was on September 25, 1993, which is the Season 19 premiere, with musical guest Nirvana, a rock band.
He returned to Saturday Night Live to hosting for the 2nd time on January 9, 2010, the 11th episode of Season 35, with musical guest Alicia Keys, which making his first appearance in 16 years, 3 months, and 5 days.
He returned to Saturday Night Live to host for the 3rd time on January 7, 2012, the eleventh episode and first show of New Year 2012 of Season 37, with musical guest Kelly Clarkson.
He returned to Saturday Night Live once again to host for the 4th time on March 3, 2018, the fourteenth episode of Season 43, with musical guest Migos.
He was also impersonated by Kenan Thompson on the following dates:
- October 13, 2007, during the "Iconoclasts" sketch.
- February 23, 2008, during the "The Celebrity Apprentice" sketch.
- September 13, 2008 during the "The Charles Barkley Show" sketch.
- January 10, 2009 during the Weekend Update segment.
- May 16, 2009, during the "Inside The NBA" sketch.
- October 3, 2009, during the Weekend Update segment.
- November 19, 2011, during the "Kelly Auditions" sketch.
- January 7, 2012, during the "Inside The NBA" sketch (where Barkley himself impersonated Shaquille O'Neal).
- May 4, 2013, during the "Michael Jordan's Wedding" sketch.
- May 2, 2015, during Weekend Update.
- December 16, 2017, during the "Inside the NBA" sketch.
- April 6, 2019, during Weekend Update
- May 15, 2021, during the "Last Dance" sketch
- January 15, 2022, during the "NBA on TNT sketch"
In his impressions, he is known for exaggerating how he bet a lot of money and lost, because he bet it at the wrong place.
Impressions[]
Gallery[]
