Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley is a former NBA star and sports analyst best known for his basketball career and his longtime role on TNT’s Inside the NBA. Barkley was born in Leeds, Alabama, and attended Leeds High School before enrolling at Auburn University, where he played three seasons of college basketball. He left school early to enter the NBA Draft but later returned to complete his degree in business management.

Barkley was selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He quickly became one of the league’s most dominant power forwards, earning 11 NBA All-Star selections during his 16-year career with the 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. In 1993, he was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Barkley was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, competing on the famed “Dream Team” in 1992 and 1996 alongside players including Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

After retiring from the NBA in 2000, Barkley transitioned into broadcasting and became a fixture on TNT’s Inside the NBA. He’s also made appearances in films including Space Jam (1996) and He Got Game (1998) and has lent his voice to animated series such as The Simpsons and We Bare Bears. In 2002, he published a memoir titled I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Barkley tied the knot with Maureen Blumhardt in 1989. The couple welcomed daughter Christiana that same year.