NBA Appreciation Day: Charles Barkley, The Broadcaster

Happy Friday, and happy NBA Appreciation Day, folks!  Today I’ll be rambling about the post-playing days of the greatest athlete-turned-broadcaster of all-time, none other than Charles Barkley.  I feel like Nas on New York State Of Mind right now… I don’t know how to start this.  I guess I’ll just get right into it.  Rappers I monkey flip ‘em with the funky rhythm…

Obviously, I’m well aware of Barkley’s legendary career on the court.  However, I’m 23 years old.  The dude simply came before my time.  Older fans and basketball snobs may consider the following to be an admission of ignorance, but when I think of Charles Barkley the first thing that comes to mind is Inside The NBA.  Trust that I’ve seen the highlight reels (I especially enjoy this one, and not just because Shawn Kemp appears in it) and classic moments time and time again, but still, the initial image of Chuck that my mind always conjures is an overweight guy in a suit, not a young man in a tank top… and you know what?  I think that’s more of a testament to his larger-than-life personality than it is a slight to his game, or my knowledge of the game, for that matter.

See, Chuck the broadcaster is awesome because he’s funny, yet he can also offer serious opinions.  He always speaks his mind, but I don’t often feel that he’s simply saying something outrageous for the sake of being different.  He doesn’t take himself too seriously, yet he’s not a complete goofball or attention whore (that’s you, Shaq).  Gotta love a dude who can not only dish a fine joke, but also appreciate a good one that comes at his own expense.  For example…

I think Charles Barkley and Inside The NBA might be to blame, at least in part, for my insomnia.  That sh!t keeps me up until 2 AM every Thursday.  I was tired as hell last night, but I wasn’t about to miss out on this.

Don’t ever retire, Charles.  Sometimes I’ll talk about how the NBA won’t ever be the same after such and such decides to call it a career, but when Barkley leaves TNT?  That’ll be a goddamn tragedy.

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