“One of the Great Influences of My Life”: Emotional Charles Barkley Mourns the Loss of His High School Teacher

Charles Barkley is widely considered to be a guy who always remembers his humble beginnings and his roots. He is also the person to give credit where credit is due. In a recent episode of NBA on TNT, Charles Barkley gave a shoutout to his late high school teacher, dubbing him as “one of the great influences of my life”.

He kickstarted the show with a sense of melancholy. He spoke about how he mourned his favorite teacher’s death this past week. Barkley further said that he wanted to begin the show by listing the teachers during his junior year who had impacted his life.

Charles Barkley remembers his teachers

Charles Barkley credited Mr. James Robertson for being a big influence in his life. He emphatically said that Robertson was “just an amazing person“. Chuck’s respect and admiration for teachers and mentors is well known. He said he has always let them know “what they mean to people“.

He read out 6 more teachers, excluding Mr. Robertson. Barkley also admitted that he had kept in contact with James Robertson, and even attended his birthday party two months ago. He mentioned that his teacher’s health was deteriorating at that point as well.

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He also gave a shoutout to Ernie’s daughter who was a teacher. Chuck appreciated teachers for their level of patience and the ability to influence children.

Chuck gives back to his high school

If compliments and keeping in touch were not enough for Charles Barkley to underline how much teachers mean to him, he also has donated money to employees at his high school.

In 2021, the NBA legend gave $1000 apiece to more than 200 employees from Leeds High School. He graduated from the school in 1981 but has always shown his support since then. The donation was given for the staff’s work during the pandemic.

The Leeds City Schools Facebook page also mentioned that this was not a standalone gesture. According to the post, “Over the past three decades, Charles has quietly and without any attention drawn to himself, provided over $ 3 million in scholarships to Leeds graduates, funds that have helped hundreds of students attend college.”

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The post also appreciated Chuck for his unwavering support and recognition of their hard work.