1,516 Miles Later, Charles Barkley’s 128 ft Avatar Bids Farewell to the March Madness Chapter

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s NOT Superman. Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t around to make the most of the Chuck Blimp. But the rest of the TNT crew was. After livening up March Madness from the skies, CapitalOne’s Charles Barkley blimp called it a day. The sponsor of the giant Chuck spectacle bid a dramatic farewell to the ‘Chuck Blimp’ as the NCAA Tournament closed.

Speaking of Charles Flightly’s month-long escapade, the CapitalOne Instagram posted, “1,516 miles, 68 teams, 3 basketball cities, 1 Chuck Blimp.. Thanks for joining us,” as the Chuck Blimp headed home. Or a hangar.

Air Chuck One debuted this year in Memphis, where the first round of the tournaments began with 68 teams in contention. It made its way to Dallas the week the South regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games were playing. It arrived in Phoenix for the Final Four and floated around for the Jamfest, which the original Chuckster crashed too.

Funnily, the Phoenix Suns legend made his dream of being on a blimp known in 2018 on TNT. Ernie Johnson told him to take a good look in the mirror. Yet Barkley had the last laugh as CapitalOne, that has enlisted Barkley for their March Madness campaigns for years, made the Chuck Blimp a reality. Spanning 128 feet in length, the blimp features the likeness of The Round Mound of Rebound from his NBA days from bow to tail. That’s the size of 20 Chucks stacked head to toe.

When CapitalOne proposed the blimp, Sir Charles responded, “I hope you brought enough helium.” But 6’6″ Chuck got the helium instead.

Air Chuck One is the highlight

The TNT analyst joined Ernie Johnson and Kenny “The Jet” Smith for March Madness with the blimp in tow. The Ugly Chuckling provided the stage for many a joke during the tournament. During the Final Four, after Purdue beat NC State, they began talking about the blimp on cue. That was a setup by the TNT crew involving a rigged mic that brought out Barkley’s helium voice. Despite powering through his speech in that squeaky vibrato, Barkley said, “I really hate y’all.” 

READ MORE: Charles Barkley Joins Shaquille O’Neal in Embracing Zach Edey’s ‘Greatness’ after Championship Game

The blimp was the highlight of several entertaining moments this March Madness. Kenny even implied that the Chuck Blimp is the cause of a streak of upsets in Memphis where it started its journey hovering over the FedEx Forum. Ernie disclosed real Chuck and the blimp have something in common. “The head is actual size,” he said and had Barkley doubling over in laughter.

There’s a lot of reason to bring back the giant Chuck next year just for the comedy. For now, safe skies Chuck Blimp.

READ MORE: “Feels Like Something Snapped”: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Distressing Exit Triggers Shaquille O’Neal’s Painful Memory