Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley was a superstar during his time in the NBA. He was one of the fiercest players during the time and was the face of the 76ers franchise. But Chuck was so close to joining Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the late 80s. 

Barkley joined Jimmy Kimmel on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show in 2018. During the show, Chuck and Kimmel discussed a multitude of things. During his playing time, Chuck was not one to be messed with. And he has had numerous altercations with fans during his playing career.

Now, Barkley has mellowed down a bit and is one of the funniest NBA analysts. And he doesn’t mind laughing at himself.

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During the show, Kimmel said that no one would want to say anything negative to Barkley in his face. But Barkley cracked a joke that Kimmel is saying that because he didn’t play in Philly.

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Then Kimmel asked whether Barkley was close to joining the Lakers. The former MVP revealed, “Yes, I actually got traded to the Lakers. So I get a call from my agent one morning and he says, ‘I think we got a deal. You’re going to the Lakers.’ And I was so excited. So me and my boys went to celebrate, started getting drunk in the middle of the day… My agent calls me back about 3 hours later. He said, ‘The Sixers pulled out the deal.’”

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But the amusing part is that the 76ers had a game that night and Chuck was drunk with his friends. He said that he doesn’t remember anything about that game. But Barkley was not exactly sure which year it was. Had he joined the Lakers in 1988, he would have won a much-deserved NBA championship during his career. 

Between 1980 and 1990, Magic Johnson and the Lakers won five NBA titles. After winning back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, the Lakers went for the three-peat in 1999 and faced the Detroit Pistons. But Magic injured his hamstring early in the Finals and the Bad Boys won and swept the Lakers. 

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And the Lakers would have benefited from Charles Barkley’s firepower if they had signed him. Also, the Lakers would be set for years to come with a young Barkley. But it wasn’t meant to be. And sadly, Barkley had to retire without ever winning a ring. But he will forever remain a 76ers legend.