Charles Barkley’s hilarious antics on television for the last two decades have surely captivated audiences. The Philadelphia 76ers legend has managed to stay one of the favorites in the NBA community despite retiring 23 years ago. However, his journey to the top has been a rough road. From living life without a father figure, to facing one of the most turbulent times in American history, the Chuckster saw it all.

Barkley had a mostly happy childhood, courtesy of his mother and grandmother. However, the times suggested something else and young Chuck recently remembered his naivety at the time. He credits his grandmother for guiding him through the strong racial environment he was growing up.

Charles Barkley on his naive thought process in a turbulent America

Charles Barkley was born in Leeds, Alabama, in 1963, a historical year for the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was at its peak in 1963, as the iconic Washington March took place in the same year. However, Chuck was way too young for all of it at the time, as he recently mentioned how his grandmother introduced him to the changes that the world was going through, one lesson at a time.?

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Barkley mentioned how his grandma made him aware of the important events near his hometown impacting the Civil Rights Movement. “So my grandmother, she made sure I learned about stuff like that,” said Barkley.?

He explained, “And the best way I can pay homage to the Civil Rights Movement is try to, number one, speak on things that should be spoken about. But I also try to give back and do some good things in the community“. He also revealed how certain people weren’t happy to see him in school. “I was too young and too stupid to know exactly what was goin? on,” he said. However, he wasn’t alone.

Barkley continued, “But there was a gentleman named Mr. Allen. He took me and the two other kids to integrate the school. There was no buses. We had to get driven to the school. And the kids were fabulous. The teachers were fabulous. There were some parents who obviously didn?t want us to be there.”

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The 76ers legend mentioned in the interview that despite being uninformed and unaware of those turbulent times, Barkley still wanted to make sure that he was contributing to the community.

Barkley’s Million Dollar donations to various schools

The former Auburn University student decided to help out a lot of historically black colleges in an attempt to help out the community. Back in 2016, the Chuckster donated a Million dollars each to Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.?

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Furthermore, in 2017, Morehouse College in Atlanta received a generous donation of the same amount from the 11-time All-Star. In 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers legend continued his offerings as he donated another $1 Million to Miles College in Alabama.?

What do you think about Chuck’s childhood stories during the Civil rights movement? Did you know about his generous donations? Let us know in the comments below.