Charles Barkley Jan 21, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns former player Charles Barkley in attendance at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
By Sam Neumann on

As he constantly toys with the idea of retirement, Charles Barkley hasn’t lost his fastball. In fact, it’s hard to argue that anyone in sports media had better moments than Sir Charles. Yes, we named Pat McAfee as our 2023 Sports Media Person of the Year, but nobody quite captures the moment like Chuck.

Barkley is a highly admired figure who is known for his honesty. Although he significantly impacted the NBA as a player, he is now even more valuable as a brand ambassador and analyst for the league.

Sow without further ado, we took a look at Barkley’s best moments from 2023:

When he chided fan-voting

Charles Barkley excels at creating hilariously awkward moments, something he did earlier this year while trolling fans and Donald Trump.

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When he told Draymond Green that the Warriors were “cooked”

Barkley and Draymond Green got into it on the TBS NBA All-Star Game broadcast. Barkley told Green that the Warriors are “cooked” and “done.”

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When he said everyone in Salt Lake City is going to Heaven

During the draft of All-Star Game reserves, Shaq claimed Charles Barkley was drunk and said “I want to thank Patrón for sponsoring Chuck.”

There was also a moment of Barkley roasting Utah and Salt Lake City, perhaps proving that O’Neal’s comments were fortuitous.

“These people going to heaven. There ain’t nothing to do in this boring-ass city. It’s a great city, but ain’t nothing to do here. Can’t smoke. Can’t drink. These people going to heaven.”

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When he accidentally buried Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas probably doesn’t mind the occasional shoutout on Inside the NBA until Barkley sent him to an early grave.

When his shower in-uniform story left Clark Kellogg in hysterics

“We used to take a shower in our uniforms (to wash them).”

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When his “accidents with the soap” story cracked up the Inside the NBA cast

In April, Inside the NBA showed a The Steam Room clip of Charles Barkley discussing his soap travel habits, which led to lots of laughs.

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When he dropped the perfect Clarence Thomas joke

During Inside the NBA’s ‘Gone Fishin’ segment earlier this year, Barkley took notice of the imaginary megayacht the guys were supposed to be on and quipped, “This looks like the one Clarence Thomas was riding on… and wasn’t telling nobody.” The Supreme Court justice was accused of failing to disclose luxury vacations and a real estate deal that was funded by a Republican mega-donor.

When he and Shaq cracked up over Derrick White’s hairline

Inside the NBA talk on the Celtics’ Derrick White involved his hair, with Charles Barkley comparing him to Stephen A. Smith and Shaq singing.

When he told kids to kick, not hit, people in the junk

Barkley weighed in when James Harden was ejected for hitting a player in the groin, and Joel Embiid wasn’t for kicking someone there.

When he threw some serious shade at cat lovers

Barkley has made a lot of polarizing comments on Inside the NBA, but his opinion on cats may have been his hottest take yet.

When he age-shamed pickleball fans

Barkley is coming for your government, he’s coming for your cats, and now he’s slandering pickleball.

When he admitted that he cleaned his glasses by licking them

Barkley has a bizarre way to clean his phone (and apparently his glasses too) – he licks it instead of using a spray or wipe.

When he called out Dan Le Batard and family

Barkley called out “fat” Dan Le Batard and his “fat daddy” as he guaranteed a Game 5 victory for the Boston Celtics.

“Fat Dan Le Batard and your fat daddy —sweet Miss Lourdes— I’ll see you Saturday. GUARANTEED.”

When Jack Eichel had no idea who the hell he was

While Barkley is wildly famous in many circles, that apparently didn’t extend to Vegas center Jack Eichel recognizing him.

“So, the other day, we were at the hotel, and I walked up to Jack Eichel and said how great he was. I think he had zero idea who I was. He was at the hotel, we were at the same hotel, and I walked up to him and said ‘Hey, Mr. Eichel, you’re a great player,’ and he looked at me like, ‘Who the hell are you?’ It was funny.”

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When he spoke in support of the LGBTQ+ community and added support for Bud Light

A video had Barkley again speaking in support of the LGBTQ+ community: “If you have a problem with that, **** you!”

@l._banana 🏳️‍🌈 #sircharles #charlesbarkley #barkley #MentalHealth #transmentalhealth #celebritygolftournament #nbc #harveys #artytheparty #laketahoe #trans #gay #phoenixsuns #fyp #viral #transgender #charlesbarkleysays #iloveyou #ally #nohaters #protecttransyouth #lgbtqia #support #bekind #transgendersupport #Pride #transgenderawareness #psychpa #cnn #controversy #budlight #lgbt #lgbtq #rayallen #jerryrice #tnt #cbs #golf #fundraiser #harrahslaketahoe #americancenturychampionship @Dylan Mulvaney ♬ Hate Me Now (feat. Diddy) – Nas

When he told his alma mater to pray for better quarterback play

Auburn alum Barkley made a plea for his alma mater to improve its quarterback play.

“If y’all gonna be down there baptizing people, please pray for better quarterback play,” Barkley told The Next Round. “Let’s get these three quarterbacks, baptize them and maybe the Lord can make them play better.”

When he confronted NBA commissioner Adam Silver over league’s domestic violence policy

With two NBA stars in a lurch after domestic violence arrests, Barkley pressed Adam Silver on the league’s policy.

“There’s a couple of disturbing incidents of domestic violence occurring in the NBA right now,” Barkley began. “What are we doing to address that?”

When he threatened to slap Ernie Johnson in the head with a churro

Barkley threatened to waste a churro, and he threatened to hit Ernie Johnson.

When he sent Isiah Thomas to an early grave (again!)

Barkley gave Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars a shoutout on Inside the NBA, but he didn’t have to bury them like that.

“Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars are rolling over in their grave watching these Pistons play.”

When he announced Kenny Smith’s hotel room number to the world

The best thing about Barkley is his willingness to be an open book, unless you’re Kenny Smith and he’s revealing your hotel room.


“Hey guys, Kenny’s in room 510!” Barkley said with a laugh as Smith desperately reached for his room key back. “Kenny’s in room 510, y’all.”

When he took issue with Nielsen over CNN show ratings flop

The premiere of King Charles on CNN was deemed a ratings flop, but Barkley doesn’t subscribe to the numbers.

“This is to my people at CNN, my team who puts the King Charles show together,” Barkley told Ernie Johnson on their podcast, The Steam Room. “An article came out that our ratings weren’t great…but I want to tell my team, man, these Nielsen people are the biggest clowns in the world. Name me one person you know with a Nielsen box?”

“These Nielsen people try to say our ratings weren’t great, but we won a certain demographic. Hey man, to my team, f*** them,” Barkley ranted. “Don’t you worry about what people tell you about your ratings? Nobody knows what people are watching. They don’t! You got a group of people who get to dictate who gets hired and fired, and that’s the part that sucks about the Nielsen ratings.”

When he threatened Stephen A. Smith with an ‘ass whooping’

Barkley joked about giving Stephen A. Smith an “ass whooping” if he brought his “loud ass talk” to the joint TNT and ESPN NBA coverage.

When he said he’d rather root for Afghanistan than Alabama

Barkley threw shade at the CFP committee for penalizing teams with injured starters and had quite an Alabama line.

“I can’t root for Alabama under any circumstances,” Barkley said. “I love Coach Saban. He’s been great to me. But I can never root for Alabama. Under any circumstances. I told you if they played Afghanistan, I’d be pulling for Afghanistan.”

Never a dull moment with Chuck, and 2023 was no exception. Here’s to hoping he keeps the laughs (and the occasional controversy) coming in 2024!

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann