In his 60 years of life, Charles Barkley has come a long way, from abject poverty to worldwide superstardom. He has achieved great success in his profession, transitioning from an NBA superstar to a respectable sports analyst. Sir Charles has amassed a staggering net worth of $70 million after earning close to $40 million as an NBA player and even more from his endorsements and other enterprises. However, he did not have a simple path to success.

Growing up in a small town in Alabama with just a couple of thousand people, Barkley’s family lived in the projects. His mother was a maid, and his grandmother worked in a meat factory. It wasn’t until later in life that Barkley realized the extent of poverty they faced in their household. The former Philadelphia 76ers star recently addressed it during a conversation with a 74-year-old boxing legend. 

Charles Barkley discusses his tough upbringing and sympathizes with a boxing legend

During a conversation with Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson on NBA on TNT, boxing legend George Foreman opened up about his difficult upbringing and his recently released biopic Big George Foreman, that brought back memories of the tough times he faced.

Foreman revealed that watching the movie made him realize that there were times when he didn’t have any hope. He didn’t know what success or goal-setting meant. The emotional experience left him in tears, but also helped him remember and reflect on his past experiences.

Barkley resonated with Foreman’s story and shared his experiences growing up in a small town in Alabama. “You know I sympathize with you. I think about growing up; I grew up in a town in Alabama, a couple of thousand people living in the projects. My mom was a maid, my grandmother worked in the meat factory,” he said.

 “And there was, I didn’t, because you don’t even realize you’re poor until later in life. Yeah, yeah, I was like, ‘Man, we were really poor,'” Barkley added.

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How Barkley’s perseverance and determination led to his success

Barkley’s stepfather died while he was just 11 years old, and his father abandoned the family after divorcing his mother. Because of this, the Chuckster had to depend exclusively on his mother and grandma for support. “I remember my grandmother bringing those chicken feet home. Once they were two or three weeks old because she had to eat like a hundred chicken feet to get like one good solid meal out of it.”

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Despite the hardships he faced growing up, Barkley never lost sight of his dreams. He went on to become a basketball star and eventually earned millions of dollars on the back of a successful career.