1) “I am not a role model” (1993)

Anyone who’s ever been offended or shocked by the words or actions of Charles Barkley would do well to heed the own man’s most famous quotation. As part of an advertisement for Nike, Barkley made the plain statement “I am not a role model.” It was a plea to parents and society to not rely on athletes and other celebrities as a moral compass, which placed the Suns superstar right in the mix of the early ’90s culture war du jour. The ad first aired in the summer of 1993 which was an interesting time in Barkley’s career. He had just come off his MVP season for Phoenix but was also embroiled in scandal when he tried to spit on a racist fan but missed and hit a child instead. As you would expect, it was immediately controversial with many missing the point entirely and decrying Barkley’s supposed derelict of duty. One of those detractors was his Dream Team teammate Karl Malone, who penned a condescending Sports Illustrated op ed in response (Malone failed to mention the decidedly non-role model part of his own life where he impregnated a 13-year-old girl while in college and then refused to be part of the child’s life for decades).

2) “I don’t know nothing about Angola. But Angola’s in trouble” (1992)

Though he was arguably the second best player on the roster behind Michael Jordan, Barkley was still a controversial addition to the 1992 U.S. Olympic team. Concerns over his behavior in Barcelona were certainly not assuaged in the Dream Team’s first game, which was prefaced by Barkley’s prediction to the press that “Angola is in trouble.” It was prophetic, not just in the final score (a 116-48 U.S. win) but also in the fate of anyone who dared cross Barkley in the paint. Late in the first half, Barkley, seemingly at random, elbowed Angola’s Herlander Coimbra in the chest and received a technical foul for it (Coimbra hit the ensuing technical free throws, which broke a 31-0 run by the U.S.). When asked about it in a postgame interview, Barkley claimed that Coimbra had shoved him multiple times and he was just retaliating. The American brass considered sending their pugnacious star forward home but ultimately allowed him to stay. He turned things around from there, becoming a popular figure in Barcelona with his incredible play and his late night strolls interacting with fans in the Ramblas district.

3)  “I’ve lost a million dollars at least 10 to 20 times” (2006)

It was an open secret in the NBA in the ’90s that many of its biggest stars were also impulsive gamblers. It certainly makes sense psychologically, as the compulsive nature necessary to succeed at a high level athletically can infect other aspects of your personality. But it was still a shock in 2006 when Barkley admitted during an ESPN interview that he’s lost over $10 million gambling in his life. In fact, Barkley estimated that he’s lost over a million dollars in a single day at the casino at least 10 times and possibly as many as 20 times. Though he admitted it was a problem, he also downplayed the severity, claiming that he has control over the money amounts being lost. When he received backlash over these admissions, Barkley softened his stance a bit but still stood firm on his commitment to gambling as a fun though self-admittedly bad habit. In fact, he’s continued to extoll his gambling bad beats publicly, most notably when he supposedly bet $100,000 on the Falcons in the 2017 Super Bowl, only to watch them blow a 28-3 lead and lose to the Patriots. 

4) “I regret we weren’t on a higher floor” (1997)

While often soft-spoken and thoughtful, sometimes Barkley’s brash and belligerent on-court persona could spill into his personal life. The most notable example came on the eve of the ’97-’98 season, when Barkley attended an Orlando bar with Rockets teammate Clyde Drexler and some friends. When another patron at the bar reportedly threw a cup of ice at a companion of Barkley, he responded by lifting the man into the air and hurling him through a plate glass window. Barkley was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, for which he received community service and a fine (he also settled out of court in a civil suit for an undisclosed amount). When receiving the judge’s sentence, Barkley was asked if he had any regrets and responded “yeah, I regret we weren’t on a higher floor.” Though he was far from contrite at that moment, Barkley did later apologize for the incident, stating that his anger issues were behind him.

5) “Give some [vaccines] to NBA players. As much taxes as these players pay, they deserve some preferential treatment” (2021)

When the NBA resumed in the Orlando “bubble” to close out the ’19-’20 season, one of the bigger controversies was questioning why a pro sports league could receive such extensive COVID-19 testing and prevention procedures while much of the rest of the country was being ravaged by a lack of resources. It was a fair question and created the template for a delicate balance that Adam Silver and other U.S. sports commissioners have had to toe, trying to keep their players, coaches, and staffs safe and healthy while also not appearing to be skirting regulations for the latest medical resources and technology. But Barkley is never one to hold the corporate line. In January of 2021, when COVID vaccines were rolling out only for the most vulnerable and essential members of society, he meandered on Inside the NBA that NBA players and other pro athletes should be allowed to skip the line because they pay so much taxes. Not a great stance to take but give Barkley credit for at least being pro vaccine. He later apologized for those comments and then spent much of the ’21-’22 season chiding Kyrie Irving and other anti-vaxxers for their posture.

“This myopic insight is a perfect encapsulation of Barkley’s political worldview, which is often astute but also ultimately just a hollow reflection of U.S. culture war politics.”

6) “They won’t cut Dave Hoppen because Philadelphia isn’t ready for an all-Black team” (1991)

Barkley’s eighth and final season with the 76ers was a tumultuous one. Though the team had reached the Conference Semifinals in 1991, they were obviously far from title contention with their current roster makeup and Barkley had quite plainly stated his disinterest in waiting through another rebuild. Many fickle Philly fans turned on their superstar, studying his quotes and body language like torah, looking for further personal defamations to which they could take offense. One major example came during pre-season in ’91-’92, when Barkley was asked for his thoughts on who would make the roster as the Sixers’ 12th man and predicted it would be white journeyman center Dave Hoppen, because “Philadelphia isn’t ready for an all-Black team.” Sure enough Hoppen, whom the 76ers had traded for during the ’90-’91 season, did make the roster and wound up playing in just 11 games. Whether or not Barkley was correct in his implication that the Philadelphia executives needed white players to maintain some level of fan interest, this comment was one of his final controversial ones in the city, as he was traded to the Suns following the season.

7) “I was a Republican until they lost their minds” (2006)

When once asked by his mother how he could support the Republican party, which in her words only cares about the rich, Barkley supposedly responded “but mom, I am rich.” This myopic insight is a perfect encapsulation of Barkley’s political worldview, which is often astute but also ultimately just a hollow reflection of U.S. culture war politics. He supposedly mulled a run as the Republican candidate for governor of Alabama in 1998 but demurred. When Barkley made aspersions about a gubernatorial run again in 2006, this time the headlines focused largely on his change of political affiliation. Stating that Republicans had “lost their minds,” specifically citing their stances on the Iraq War, gay marriage, and immigration, Barkley launched his campaign as an independent (because “Republicans are full of it and Democrats are only a little less full of it”). Though that run for governor never actually happened, Barkley has remained political to some extent, endorsing Barack Obama for president in 2008 and 2012 and regularly giving his opinion on the racial divide in America. Of course, the right wing media sphere is still more than willing to re-embrace and close ranks around Barkley whenever he spouts one of his more conservative views, such as his support for cops, his admonishment of looters and rioters, his disagreement with athletes kneeling for the national anthem, and his recent repudiation of “cancel culture.”

8) “I was going to drive around the corner and get a blowjob” (2008)

For the most part in his post playing career, Barkley has gotten himself into trouble only with his words, not so much with his actions. But the two possibilities merged in 2008, when he was arrested in Arizona for a DUI. It was bad enough that Barkley was out driving under the influence of alcohol but even worse was his justification. According to the police notes, when asked by the officer why he was out driving, Barkley responded “you want to know the truth? I was going to drive around the corner and get a blowjob.” Apparently, Barkley had made “friends” with a woman in Scottsdale and was attempting to re-connect in a drunken stupor. He eventually pleaded guilty and served three days in jail, apologized numerous times for the event and praised the professionalism of the cops who arrested him.

9) “I’m just what America needs, another unemployed Black man” (2000)

Upon announcing his retirement from the NBA in 2000, the ever piquant Barkley couldn’t help but add one more quotable proclamation: “I’m just what America needs, another unemployed Black man.” Barkley was likely using this humorous front to supplant the lack of fulfillment he felt from his playing career. In 16 seasons, the highly competitive star played in the NBA Finals only once, losing to the Bulls as a member of the Suns in 1993. He was a league MVP, 1st-Team All-NBA five times, an All-Star 11 times, and a member of the 50 Greatest Players list, but never a champion, a fact that quite obviously gnaws at him to this day. As for his employment status, Barkley wasn’t jobless for long, joining the cast of “Inside the NBA” on TNT just a couple months later.

10) “You can’t even have fun anymore without these characters trying to get you cancelled” (2021)

It was inevitable in his role as cable network truth teller that Barkley would eventually wade into the “cancel culture” discourse. During a radio interview in 2021, Barkley stated that he would soon be quitting his analyst role on “Inside the NBA” due to meddling from his TNT bosses. So which of Barkley’s numerous hot takes over the years was so important that he decided to finally draw a line in the sand and die on this hill? Turns out it was his obsession with calling San Antonio women overweight. It’s a running joke over the years that Barkley claims the San Antonio populace is in on but the TNT brass saw it otherwise. Like so many culture warriors, Barkley turned out to be bluffing, as he signed a long-term contract with “Inside the NBA” ahead of the ’22-’23 season.