ALL FUN AND GAME FOR BARKLEY

Charles Barkley played his role with the greatest gusto for 16 seasons. He was the anti-hero, the villain king. He was a little bit of Meadowlark Lemon and a little bit of Muhammad Ali with an enlarged, competitive heart. And, incidentally, he is one of the 50 best–ever. He understood the game was equal parts sports and show biz. He was vaudeville with a 35-inch vertical. He was a great player and greater personality. The consummate entertainer in a league that is becoming dangerously corporate. Barkley loved playing himself, 82 nights a year, crisscrossing the country. He was the game’s clown prince. You laughed at him and booed him, then after the game you checked the box score and he had 22 points and 10 rebounds and, often, your team was the loser. He never lost his sense of humor and he never lost his game. He made us angry. He made us smile. And most important, he made his league a better place.