The Philadelphia 76ers unveiled a statue of former star Charles Barkley, one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, in front of the franchise’s training center in Camden, New Jersey.
“I don’t think he’s that thin,” 56-year-old Barkley joked about the statue depicting him on the verge of a dunk with both hands, one of his favorite moves.
The forward, selected in 1984 by Philadelphia, “Sir Charles”, also known as “Baby TGV”, was an imposing size at the time he played, he was 1.98 tall and weighed 114 kg.
With an impressive physique, sometimes overweight, he put himself at the service of the defense in rebounds, without forgetting to act offensively (22.1 points average in his career).
đź‘Ź Statue of the great Charles at the 76ers facility in Camden #CharlesBarkley #Sixers #heretheycome
Video via @JeffSkversky Y @ 6abcpic.twitter.com/c5gqS8WrTN
– Sixers In Spanish (@Sixers_Espanol) September 13, 2019
Barkley was named the league’s best player in 1993, the only year he reached the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns, where he was defeated by the Chicago Bulls who had one of his best friends, Michael Jordan.
Together they were among the figures of the “Dream Team”, which made the world discover basketball “made in the NBA” when it was crowned at the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.
Also a winner at the Atlanta Olympic Games (1996), Barkley, 11 times selected to the All-Star Game, became after 16 professional seasons one of the most popular sports commentators on American television.
His statue stands on the Sixers ‘Legends Walk’ alongside other Philadelphia legends such as Billy Cunningham, Wilt Chamberlain, Maurice Cheeks, Julius Erving, Hal Greer and Bobby Jones.