The early playing years of Sir Charles weren’t like the lovable, loud goofball on TNT. Charles Barkley was hot-headed, trash-talking, quick to brawl, and let his anger get the best of him. The reason, he told Shannon Sharpe, was the one person who defined his childhood. Barkley delved into his life before the NBA growing up in Alabama during his appearance on Club Shay Shay. On the show, he blamed his father for making him an angry athlete.

He narrated one incident with his father, Frank Barkley, that left a traumatizing mark on him on the podcast. Chuck and Frank were estranged throughout his childhood. Barkley could count the number of times he’d met his father in person on his fingers. Every time they met, Frank was mean to him. Once, when Chuck was close to failing school, he was the harshest.

So when he returned for a high school reunion, “I stood next door on the stadium and watched the graduation and cried for like two hours. And that night I said, this is the last time I’m gonna let anybody ever have control of my life.”

What happened was Chuck was close to not graduating high school because of his failing grades and had to go to summer school. He was convinced his Spanish teacher had it out for him. Frank, who was living in California at that time, flew in to Alabama and “ripped me a new a**hole.”

Frank’s verbal lashing didn’t have the desired effect on Chuck, who was depressed at the prospect of not starting college with his peers. He added, “When he flew in at that point, I just say, man, I ain’t never going to forgive this dude ever again, yelling at me like that, because I was already down.” Their distant relationship and the few times they had seen each other were a contributing factor. Chuck would eventually carry the frustration regarding his father to the NBA.

Charles Barkley found a father figure much later

Barkley admitted to Sharpe that during his first few years in the NBA, he was a terrible person because he was preoccupied with his father and the Spanish teacher who nearly derailed his graduation. He was so terrible that he lashed out at an unruly adult fan and accidentally spat on a little girl. Before that incident grounded him, he made every moment he stepped on the court as a way to “stick it” to his father and that teacher.

His turning point was meeting Moses Malone, who became a true father figure to him. Eventually, Chuck reconnected with Frank when he was well past the time of needing a father figure. Chuck confessed he was a lot more mature than he was in his youth and was able to bury the hatchet.

Barkley reflected on the lessons he’s learned through his difficult childhood. He’s certainly come a long way from the hothead he was in the league.

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