Image via Complex Original
The 5th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, Sir Charles Barkley made his imprint on the Association from the off. During his early years with the Sixers, Barkley was throwing it down on one end, rejecting shots at the other, and grabbing every loose ball on both ends of the court. An 11-time All-Star, Barkley didn’t blow anyone away with his physique; he instead used a scoring touch and a tenacious attitude down low to dominate the game. And while the 1993 league MVP was a threat at both ends of the floor, he was also a menace to opposing teams. As a sign of his fearlessness—or maybe just his stubbornness—Barkley mixed it up with the likes of Bill Laimbeer, Charles Oakley, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Dubbed The Round Mound of Rebound for his ability to bang on the boards, and, well, his portly physique, Barkley was truly a specimen to behold.
Many younger fans of the NBA know Chuck mainly for his exploits on TNT’s Inside the NBA and his outspokenness in the media, and rightfully so. Whether he’s weighing in on Rockets GM Daryl Morey or telling DeMarcus Cousins to grow up, Barkley is never one to shy away from the mic. And that’s why we love him. Today, Chuck turns 52, so from his days of getting in Jordan’s face to eating a cookie off his own face, these are Charles Barkley’s Most Dominating Performances in GIFs.
Young Charles Introduces Himself to Kareem
Lord knows Charles Barkley wasn’t getting up like this later in his career, so footage like this from his early days in the Association should really be treasured. The fifth overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft took the league by storm during his rookie season, averaging 14 points and 8.5 boards a game. He may have only been 21, but Charles clearly wasn’t skittish about banging with the NBA’s best.
Barkley Gets Up Close and Personal With Terry Cummings
Terry Cummings is considered one of the more underrated players to ever play in the NBA, but we’ll bet he’d rather stay under the radar than be reminded of this posterization at the hands of Sir Charles.
A Jam Worthy of Steve Ballmer Hands
It didn’t take long for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers to realize they had something special in Charles Barkley. This supreme individual effort against Jordan’s Bulls was one of many early announcements in Barkley’s career that he was going to command respect one way or another. We know Fergie wasn’t playing in the background, but Barkley’s jam was certainly worthy of a Steve Ballmer celebration.
Get That Weak Ish Out of Here
One of the best parts of the NBA of decades past was taunting and trash-talking. And in the 80s and 90s, Charles Barkley was one of the game’s best. Not only did he send this dude’s shit six-rows deep, but he let him know not to ever try such foolishness ever again.
I’ll Catch Up With You, Albert
Only Sir Charles could score a layup, get fouled, and make all the cheerleaders giggle as he recovers after hitting the deck. And how are you fine ladies doing this evening? What, not good? Well, we’re definitely not Chuck. ‘I said I’m good, Albert. Let me get these numbers real quick.’ #swag
One of Sir Charles’s Earlier Works
You really want to bring that weak sauce in here? Charles didn’t just reject this effort, he practically sent the ball to half court. Though he was never known as a shotblocker, Charles definitely got his fair share of rim denials. That number certainly decreased as the years went on, but that only shows Barkley’s versatility as a player.
Laimbeer and Barkley Engage in Fisticuffs
Bill Laimbeer will forever be known as one of the NBA’s most notorious villains. And while few would’ve been confident enough to step to the big man, most players were not Charles Barkley. Barkley didn’t take crap from Shaq or Jordan, so he certainly wasn’t stepping down from a fight with Laimbeer. In this particular instance, Barkley wasn’t even involved in the initial altercation, he was just sticking up for his teammate. You have to admire that loyalty and fearlessness.
They Not Ready For Me, Fam
Game 3 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Semis between Jordan’s Bulls and Barkley’s Sixers is one of the greatest postseason shootouts in NBA history. Jordan finished with 49 points compared to Barkley’s 34, yes, but the Round Mound of Rebound also tallied 20 boards and eight assists. The Sixers won the game 118-112, and Barkley had The Spectrum in a state of delirium. The Bulls would go on to win the series 4-1, but give Barkley his due.
Running and Gunning In the Wild West
One of Charles Barkley’s greatest postseason performances came in Game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference Finals. He tallied an astounding 44 points and 24 rebounds, and led his Suns to a 123-110 win over Shawn Kemp’s Supersonics. Barkley played his heart out, sinking shot after shot and grabbing board after board to frustrate Seattle. This jam came in the first half, but it serves as a solid metaphor of Barkley’s complete domination.
Bang Bang All Over You
The following season, Barkley had his Suns back in the playoffs, where he once again dominated in the early going. During Game 3, on Golden State’s home court, Barkley amassed the greatest playoff point total of his career. He completely took over by scoring 56 points, leading Phoenix to a 140-133 victory and a clean sweep of the Warriors in the opening round. It’s safe to say Barkley was an absolute sniper that day.
No Easy Buckets, Hakeem
Following that quick dispatch of the Warriors, Barkley met a much more formidable foe in Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets in the 1994 Western Conference Semis. The Rockets would end up winning the series in seven, becoming just the second team in NBA history to win a playoff series after losing the first two series games at home. Well, who wants to be on the wrong side of history? Certainly not Charles Barkley. And Chuck let his emotions boil over, resulting in this flagrant foul on Olajuwon. Not one of his finer moments, but whether you love him or hate him, Charles Barkley was as fiery a competitor as anyone.
Charles v. Charles In a Heavyweight Throwdown
Leave it to Charles Barkley to start throwing punches and get ejected from a preseason game. In 1996, during a warmup contest between Barkley’s Rockets and the New York Knicks, Charles took offense to a rather hard foul by Charles Oakley. And by rather hard foul, we mean Barkley must’ve said something about Oakley’s mama before the game for him to react like this. Well, they both went down, and Charles got up swinging. Ejections were handed out for both, and Charles and Charles definitely didn’t catch an early dinner together.
Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
Like two old dudes going at it in the park on Sunday, neither Jordan nor Barkley was willing to back down during this game in 1998. Jordan would end with 45 points, while Charles grabbed 35 of his own, and a rivalry that spanned two decades continued on in all its glory. Who else would literally stand toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan like that?
The Round Mound of Rebound Doing What He Does Best
During the Houston Rockets’ 1999 NBA opener, Barkley went for 31 points in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Chuck scored from inside and out, and his night was typified by this hard-fought rebound and putback. Barkley clearly wasn’t getting air like in his early days with the Sixers, but he adapted his game to dominate nonetheless.
Sir Charles and Shaq Lock Horns
You wouldn’t know it by watching Inside the NBA, but Shaq and Chuck weren’t always best of friends. Take this little altercation back in 1999 for example. Shaq clearly thought Barkley was overreacting to a foul, so he pushed him. And Barkley clearly didn’t like getting shoved, so he threw the ball at Shaq’s dome. Easy enough to understand, right? The best part is the look on Barkley’s face right before the two go at it and all hell breaks loose.
The Cookie Monster Ain’t Got Nothing on Barkley
To think Charles Barkley went from an 11-time All-Star and former league MVP to trying to eat a cookie off his face without using his hands on live television, is, well, astounding to say the least. But you have to give it to him, Barkley squints and strains his face until that cookie is no more. Hey, just because we said domination, doesn’t mean we meant exclusively on the basketball court.
Where Did the Round Mound of Rebound Go?
In 2012, Shaq, Chuck, and the rest of the crew were once again up to their Inside the NBA oddities. In this particular installment, Charles and Shaquille competed in “The Shirt Off,” in which each took off their shirts to reveal who had a leaner stomach. Much to the surprise of Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and everyone else watching, Barkley actually looked in pretty decent shape. Way to dominate that Weight Watchers game, skinny Chuck. The same cannot be said of the cheating O’Neal.
Shaq v. Chuck, Part II
Last year, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley-we really can’t say reenacted, and we can’t even say fought-um, wrestled for a while on the set of Inside the NBA. It ended with Barkley falling on the floor first, though it looks like a good time was genuinely had by all in attendance, including Chuck and Shaq. We guess when you’ve banged it around the NBA for a combined 35 seasons, you’re more than entitled to engage in such shenanigans.