Charles Barkley’s fiery reputation was forged long before today’s calmer NBA. One of the ugliest moments came in 1990, when a clash with Pistons center Bill Laimbeer exploded into a full-scale brawl between the Philadelphia Sixers and Detroit Pistons that dragged on for minutes. Barkley was ejected and vented his rage by breaking a toilet seat in the Sixers locker room. Fights were never rare in Chuck’s career, but they never told the full story.

The bad boy label never told the whole Charles Barkley story. Away from the chaos, there was warmth that fans rarely noticed during his playing days. He could deliver a joke without effort and laugh just as hard at himself. More importantly, he showed up for people around him, like when he publicly defended TNT’s behind-the-camera crew and called out the network for putting their jobs at risk.

Most of the things that we know about the NBA legend came out to the public when he joined TNT. Years later, former NBA player Danny Manning, who played with Barkley in Phoenix, opened up about another side of his former Phoenix teammate.

“He’s the guy who’s going to go out there, and he’s going to leave it all on the court,” Manning told PHNX Suns‘ Gil McGregor.

“But he’s also the guy, you go into the locker room, he might have a vacuum vacuuming up the locker room just because that’s just who he was. So he did so many good things for you on the court. And off the court, he had some different stories that people could talk about him.”

“But you know, a lot of times people don’t hear that. He’s vacuuming up the locker room…spending time with the other players’ sons and daughters and things of that nature in family environments.”

The media and the NBA world knew Barkley for his fierce competitiveness and confrontational nature. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, and his emotions sometimes came out on the court as well.

Manning joined the Phoenix Suns in 1994 as a free agent and played six years with the team. During that time, he became very close to Barkley and saw a side of him that no one outside the locker room did. Manning told Suns.com that during his stint with the Suns, their families became very close to each other. He called the NBA legend “a very caring and giving person.”

Danny Manning once revealed why children gravitated towards Charles Barkley

Manning met Barkley during the 1984 Olympics and was immediately captivated by his human side. In 2004, he told Suns.com that even when Barkley would go out with his teammates, he would be found surrounded by people, telling them random stories.

“He has charisma. He’s just a very likable person,” Manning said. “Not many can tell you a Charles Barkley story without smiling.”

However, there was more to Chuck than eyes met. It was his care and loving personality that kids would flock around Uncle Charles.

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“Anytime anybody had a child in the locker room, the children would gravitate toward Charles,” Manning said. “That was for a lot of different reasons. Basically, it was his general makeup and the characteristics that he displayed. He showed them a lot of attention… spoke to them… knew all their names. He played with them, and that’s something a lot of kids enjoyed.

“When they’d come into the locker room, they’d head over and sit next to him and start talking.”

Charles Barkley’s golden heart also extended towards his teammates. According to Manning, Barkley would go around asking his teammates about their families and their mental health before games. But the moment he stepped on the floor, he gave all he had in his tank and demanded the same from his teammates.