Charles Barkley
Teams
Philadelphia 76ers - 1984-92
Phoenix Suns - 1992-96
Houston Rockets - 1996-00
Playoffs
Appearances - 13 (1985,1986,1987,1989,1990,1991,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999)
Conference Finals - 3 (1985,1993,1997)
NBA Finals - 1 (1993)
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
MVP - 1 (1993)
All-NBA First Team - 5 (1988,1989,1990,1991,1993)
All-NBA Second Team - 5 (1986,1987,1988,1989,1991,1992,1994,1995)
All-NBA Third Team - 1 (1987,1990,1992,1994,1996)
Hall of Fame - 2006
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Rebounds - #20
Rebounds Per Game - #23
Total Steals - #28
Total Points - #32
Field Goal Percentage - #34
Points Per Game - #35
Steals Per Game - #80
League Leads
Total Rebounds (#2-1986, #3-1987,1989, #4-1990, #5-1988,1996)
Rebounds Per Game (#1-1987, #2-1986,1989,1999, #3-1990, #4-1996)
Field Goal Percentage (#2-1989,1990, #3-1987,1988, #4-1991)
Points Per Game (#4-1988,1991, #5-1993)
Total Steals (#5-1986)
Total Points (#5-1988)
After playing 3 years of basketball at Auburn as a center, averaging 14.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and shooting .626, Charles Barkley entered the NBA Draft, where he was picked by the Philadelphia 76ers with the #5 overall pick.
Barkley joined a 76ers team that had won the championship just 1 year before and featured Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, and Julius Erving, but he was able to work his way into the starting lineup as a rookie, and he finished the season with averages of 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds, which earned him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team that also included Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. The 76ers were already a good team, and they advanced all the way to the Conference Finals that year, where they lost to Boston in 5 games, with Barkley averaging 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds in the playoff run.
The next year Barkley started a streak of 11 straight seasons where he averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. In just his second season, he averaged 20 points and 12.8 rebounds, then raised those numbers again the next year to 23.0 points and 14.6 rebounds, which was the best in the league, making him the shortest player in history to lead the league in rebounds.
The next season Barkley had the highest scoring average of his career, pouring in 28.3 points per game after Julius Erving had retired before the season. The 76ers missed the playoffs for the first time in Barkley's career that year, but he made the All-NBA First Team for the first time, something he would do in each of the next 3 years as well.
Barkley averaged at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in each of the next 3 seasons, and he averaged a career high .600 shooting percentage in 1989-90, but he wasn't able to get the 76ers past the second round of the playoffs, falling twice in the second round to the Bulls during that time. Both Philly and Barkley saw a dip in performance the next year, and after missing the playoffs, Barkley demanded a trade from the 76ers.
He was traded to the Phoenix Suns during the summer, and after leading the Dream Team in scoring during the Olympics, he arrived in Phoenix and had his best overall season, averaging 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and a career-high 5.1 assists, which earned him the MVP. Phoenix had the league's best record, and made it all the way to the NBA Finals, but they weren't able to finish if off, losing to the Bulls in 6 games after an historic performance by Michael Jordan.
Barkley missed at least 10 games due to injury in each of the next 3 seasons, but was still highly effective when he played, averaging over 21 points and 11 rebounds in each season, but Phoenix was not able to get back to the Finals, blowing series leads to the Houston Rockets in back-to-back seasons along the way.
After 4 years with Phoenix, Barkley requested a trade again, and was sent to the Houston Rockets, who had won 2 championships just a couple years earlier, and with Olajuwon and Drexler to help with the scoring load, Barkley averaged less than 20 points per game for the first time since his rookie season, but he did grab 13.5 rebounds per game that year. The Rockets were able to reach the Conference Finals, but were knocked out by the Utah Jazz one step short of the Finals.
Barkley played a few more seasons with the Rockets, but they were not able to make another deep playoff run. In 1999-00, Barkley suffered a severe injury in December, and it looked like it might end his career, but he rehabbed hard and was able to make a brief appearance in the final game of the season to grab a rebound and put it back in the basket, allowing him to retire without having to be carried off the court in his final game.
Barkley was listed at 6'6" throughout his career, but has confirmed that he is only 6'4", making his rebounding numbers even more amazing. He averaged at least 10 rebounds per game in 15 straight seasons, won a rebounding title, and is #20 on the all time list. He was never able to win a championship, but he won an MVP and led his team to the Finals during his best season, and he is one of the greatest players of all time.
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