Apart from becoming national icons, NBA pros also tend to become well-versed travelers. The long regular season sees an NBA athlete travel very frequently. You add to the mix how often players are traded between teams, and you begin to form a picture of the complicated relationship between professional athletes and American cities. 1993 NBA MVP Charles Barkley is still collecting his frequent flier miles, covering different games as an NBA analyst in his post-retirement life.
However, the legend has a soft spot for a particular city, which he visits every summer. And it’s not Phoenix, where he spent a good part of his professional career and won his only MVP award.
Charles Barkley reveals his ties to the City of Brotherly Love
While Charles Barkley might be remembered for his time with the Phoenix Suns, it was Philadelphia that first drafted him. He spent the first eight seasons of his career in Philly, and it seems Barkley still has an inherent connection with the city and its people.
During the podcast, a fan confessed that if he had Barkley’s $60 million net worth, he would prefer to spend the summers in some place other than Philadelphia. That led the guest to ask Chuck why the former 76ers superstar remains drawn to the city.
Of course, the Chuckster had a unique answer to the fan’s question. Barkley said, “I’m gonna tell you why I live in Philly during the summer. Saucon Valley, Merion, Pine Valley, Aronimik, Commonwealth, all golf courses.”
He further added, “First of all it’s 120 degrees in Phoenix, it’s too hot to be in Phoenix. I live in Philly for the golf. Plain and simple.”
Barkley is an avid golfer and has numerous golfing stories with six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. They were golfing buddies during their time in the league despite being rivals on the court. Interestingly, Chuck once revealed that he only smokes cigars while playing golf.
The Hall of Famer played eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. Naturally, he has several memories in the city, and it seems Philly is his go-to-destination during the hot summers. However, he wasn’t always so fond of the city.
Barkley initially didn’t want to join the 76ers
Charles was set to join Philadelphia in the 1984 NBA draft. While the thought of joining a top team like the Sixers right after college might entice millions of aspiring basketball stars, Barkley was different.
He was in no mood to join them. In fact, he went on a 48-hour-eating spree in order to gain weight so that the team would be persuaded to drop him. This was mostly because he was not satisfied with the pay offered by the Sixers.
However, everything went according to plan, and the Sixers drafted him as the 5th overall pick in the 1984 draft. The draft class had other NBA legends like Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, who were drafted ahead of Chuck.
