Latest sports news: The Last Dance gave a glimpse into Charles Barkley’s greatness that’s too often forgotten
The former Sixers star never won an NBA championship, but that should not diminish how great he was on the court.
Too many people have forgotten how dominant Charles Barkley was. Or they simply don’t know.
History does that. As the saying goes, no one remembers second place. Everyone remembers Jackie Robinson, but not nearly as many people talk about the second African American to integrate baseball, Larry Doby. Runner-ups are often forgotten because their true value is diminished throughout history. Champions are highlighted in the history books, but there are legends who were a play, game, or inches away from that moment.
That’s what Charles Barkley was in the 80′s and 90′s. If Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Isiah Thomas were the presidents of those decades, Barkley was a strong vice president.
The last two episodes of The Last Dance highlighted the 1992 Dream Team and ’93 NBA Finals, among other things. Both of those events featured Barkley. Sir Charles was the leading scorer on the Dream Team, but his ’93 NBA Finals performance caught the eye of social media last night.
Barkley averaged 27.3 points, 13 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the six-game series. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound forward’s dribbling skills were shown along with his ability to take over a game offensively.
People seemed surprised while watching The Last Dance, but why? Barkley is an 11-time All-Star. After his rookie season with the Sixers, he averaged a double-double for 15 straight years. He was listed at 6-6, but “the round mound of rebound” was one of the best at snagging the ball off backboards.
His size was unconventional. He was the undersized power forward that the NBA has become enamored with today. But it wasn’t a disadvantage. In fact, he had the best two-point field goal percentage in the NBA for five consecutive seasons with the Sixers.
Barkley had the full package. He could grab a rebound, dribble up the court and find a teammate or dunk it himself. If the play broke down, Barkley could shoot a face-up jumper on the perimeter, drive to the basket, or show off his turnaround shot in the post. He’s one of just four players in NBA history with 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. The others are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Karl Malone.
Whether it’s because he failed to win a championship or because he has become of the NBA’s biggest TV personalities, a lot has been forgotten about Barkley’s game, but it shouldn’t be that way for one of the top five power forwards of all time.