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“Son, We Were in Vietnam. You Think We Had Time to Get Mixers?”: A Round of Gin With Navy SEALs Teaches Charles Barkley a Harsh Lesson

Published 01/21/2023, 2:50 PM EST

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Drinking stories are always fun to hear and former NBA superstar Charles Barkley has one to share with his podcast listeners. While Barkley’s story did not include any Banana boat or the Banana boys it still ended up with him passed out on his bed, like most drunken stories. The story came up when Barkley’s temporary co-host asked him where he could get a similar Redmond shirt that he was wearing and then began the saga of how Barkley was set straight by a couple of Navy SEALs.

The latest episode of The Steam Room was slightly different because Charles Barkley’s co-host Ernie Johnson was absent. Johnson’s mother reportedly passed away on 17 January and Tim Kiley from Turner Sports filled in as Johnson’s substitute.

Charles Barkley could not keep up with the Navy SEALs

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Amid the discussion, Tim Kiley asked Charles Barkley where he got the Redmond shirt, explaining that an acquaintance of his was looking for some vodka. The 11x NBA All-Star corrected Kiley and said that his colleague must be looking for some gin and not vodka. Chuck then shared that he had one of the worst nights when he drank gin with a couple of Navy SEALs at former governor Jesse Ventura’s retirement party.

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Chuck relayed that at the end of the party, he accompanied governor Ventura, who used to be a Navy SEAL, and a couple of his friends to his suite. He saw Ventura’s friends passing around the gin.

Charles Barkley, Who Celebrated His Trade to Magic Johnson’s Lakers by Getting ‘So Drunk’, Had His Dreams Crushed by 76ers

“They were passing the gin around and I was, ‘Okay, where is the mixer?’. He got to look to me, ‘Son, we were in Vietnam. What do you think we had time to get mixers?'” Barkley relayed.

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Apparently, the night ended with him passing out till 3 pm the next afternoon and missing his flight back home.

Barkley gets drunk before a Sixers game

While this incident did not end with him passing out, it sure did carry a lot of risks. Charles Barkley shared that he had gone out to celebrate with friends when he got informed by his agent that would be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was 1992 and the Round Mound of Rebound was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers at the time. Things turned sour when he got to know that the Sixers backed out of the deal, but Barkley was already too drunk.

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WATCH THIS STORY: 5 times Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal had heated fights on Inside The NBA

Things didn’t turn any better as the Sixers had a game the same night and Barkley had no other choice but to play while in the drunken state.

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Written by:

Siyari Debbarma

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Siyari Debbarma is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering from Abascus Institute of Engineering and Management. She previously interned at the Y-East Organization as a content writer.
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Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale