55 Years After Making History, George Foreman Makes Charles Barkley Reminiscent of His Own Olympics Memories: “Playing the National Anthem, I Couldn’t Believe the Chills”

Apart from all the team achievements and personal glory, representing one’s nation is probably the greatest pleasure of being an athlete. When it is done at the highest level, the achievement becomes the highlight of an athlete’s career. Recently on an episode of The Steam Room, two Olympic gold medalists engaged in a conversation about bringing gold for their country.

Charles Barkley is an all-time great in the NBA. His legacy and the impact he has left on the game are acknowledged and honored by almost everyone who follows the sport. Despite that, the 11x NBA All-Star considers his Olympic gold medals to be his greatest achievement. Barkley’s sentiments were echoed by one of the greatest boxers of all time, George Foreman.

George Foreman and Charles Barkley reminisce about their Olympic gold medal wins

George Foreman holds a boxing career record of 76 wins in 81 fights. 68 of his 76 wins were from KO. The 74-year-old boxing legend was a guest on The Steam Room. Big George recalled his historic Olympic gold medal win back in 1968 in Mexico City.

Ernie Johnson pointed at the picture kept in the background. The picture was from Foreman’s 1968 Olympic win, in which he was seen holding the American flag in his hands. Johnson asked Foreman if it was “still THE moment” of his life. Without any hesitation, Foreman said that it is the greatest moment in his life. He recalled being 19 years of age at the time and winning the gold medal for his country. Foreman added, “All the other babies come second to the Olympics.”

Foreman wasn’t the only Olympic gold winner on the show. Sir Charles quickly jumped in to tell his tale of glory on the highest stage. Barkley said that he has gone to the Olympics twice. He agreed with Foreman’s comments on the importance of winning a gold medal.

He said, “When you’re standing up there, and they’re playing the national anthem. I couldn’t believe the chills I was getting in my body.” Barkley is a two-time Olympic gold winner, in 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta. Chuck recalled getting goosebumps while standing on the podium to receive his gold medal while the national anthem played in the background.

Notably, Barkley was the leading scorer in the glorified Dream Team. He averaged 18 points per game.

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The player selection committee was not sure about the inclusion of Barkley in the Dream Team

Although he was the leading scorer for the team, which had the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Barkley was not the favorite pick. The player selection committee for the Olympics team was unsure of Barkley’s commitment. They had doubts that the NBA MVP would not represent the nation well on the global stage.

Barkley ended up proving everyone wrong and played a crucial role in bringing gold to his country.

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