YouTube Gold: A Young Charles Barkley | Duke Basketball Report

Charles Barkley first came to attention as an Auburn Tiger. No one cared about him in high school. First, he was from a very small town (Leeds, Alabama, population around 12,000), and second, he was overweight, and third, he didn’t really grow until he was nearly a senior, and even then, was only recruited when an Auburn assistant noticed him, and told coach Sonny Smith that he saw “a fat guy… who can play like the wind.” Even at Auburn, his potential was largely underestimated due to his weight. He played between 280 and 300 in college, and during the 1984 Olympic tryouts, coach Bobby Knight was amazed by what Barkley could do, but also disgusted by his lack of self-discipline. He wouldn’t fully register as an all-time great until he joined the Philadelphia 76ers and Moses Malone began to mentor him. Malone persuaded him to get in shape, and Barkley, by then 6-6, got his weight down to 250 and kept it there for his career. Even as big as he was at Auburn, Barkley was stunning. What’s really impressive about these highlights, aside from how well he moved 30-50 pounds overweight, was how well he passed. In the
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