Charles Barkley came into the league weighing around 295 to 300 pounds. And for a 6’6″ undersized power forward, that just wasn’t ideal. Barkley was drafted fifth overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. And he recently talked about his journey to improve his body in order to get more playing time in comparison to current New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson. But Barkley did not start on that journey till after a harsh reality check from a 76ers legend. 

Barkley averaged the lowest minutes played in his rookie season. Which obviously had him frustrated. Even though he had All-Star potential, he didn’t get to play full starter minutes in his rookie year. 

Charles Barkley credits a 76ers legend for a harsh but much-needed reality check

A frustrated Barkley turned to the Philadelphia 76ers‘ superstar veteran. And no, it was not Julius Erving. Instead, he turned to Moses Malone for advice. Even though Barkley and Erving were listed at the same height, he turned to Moses Malone due to the position he played. 

Another reason was that Malone and Barkley used to live in the same building. Which made it convenient for him to open up to ‘Big Mo.’ Barkley talked about that whole interaction with Taylor Rooks on Bleacher Report’s YouTube Channel.

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Having Faced Michael Jordan and Karl Malone, Charles Barkley Felt He Saw “Death” After Retiring From NBA: “You Want Me to Play..electricians and Plumbers??”

Barkley said, “So, I was the number five pick in the draft, I wasn’t getting to play. And the best thing that ever happened to me was Moses Malone. Me and Moses lived in the same building. And I said, ‘Big Mo can I come see you tonight? I got some stuff I need to talk to you about.'” 

Malone invited the young Barkley to his penthouse suite. Barkley continued to narrate the story, saying, “Big Mo, why am I not getting to play?” Moses gave Barkley a harsh reality check.

Malone replied, “Young fella, you’re fat and you’re lazy. You’re so overweight, you can’t work hard.” Barkley then admitted that he did end up crying a little saying, “I did like all grown men do. I cried a little bit because it hurt my feelings.”

The criticism from Shaquille O’Neal and Barkley on Zion Williamson

That’s when Rooks pointed out that Zion Williamson must’ve felt the same way when people talked about his weight. And also corrected Barkley on the fact that Zion taking his criticism personally is how anyone would react. 

Watch This Story – How Zion Williamson, once weighing more than 7 feet giant Shaquille O’Neal nearly ended his career

Barkley replied, “This is the deal we make with the devil when you’re famous, everybody has an opinion on you.” Barkley added that he thinks someone around Zion Williamson should tell him that he needs to lose weight.

Williamson’s weight had shot up to more than 300 pounds after suffering an injury. And he had to face quite a lot of criticism from NBA analysts like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. But he then put in the work to bring that down to 284 lbs. During the off-season, the 22-year-old signed a $193 million five-year max contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. The new deal reportedly includes a weight clause, meaning that if his weight and body fat percentage is above 295, he could lose out on some of his guaranteed money.  

Perhaps Barkley’s criticism and the criticism from the NBA world overall motivated Williamson to shed some weight. 

What did you think of Barkley’s story on Moses Malone? Let us know in the comments below.