Former NBA star Charles Barkley has revealed he was once traded to the LA Lakers, before the deal fell apart.
NBA legend Charles Barkley has let slip a secret about his career. He almost swapped the Philadelphia 76ers for the LA Lakers.
Barkley was drafted by the Sixers in 1984, and was eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1992, where he went on to win the MVP one year later.
But history could have been so different, with a trade to the Lakers agreed, before the Sixers apparently had a change of heart.
Charles Barkley revealed his near miss with the LA Lakers during an interview on TNT, with Ernie Johnson admitting he did not know the story.
Barkley explained: “I got traded to the Lakers. True story. I get a call one morning from my agent, hey, the Sixers finally pulled the trigger.
“I got treated to the Lakers, and I’m like, damn, thank you. About time, I can’t wait.
“So I get my friends together. We go to Fridays on City Line Avenue, and we get blasted. We get blasted already.
“I’m out of hell. I’m out of purgatory. About three o’clock, my agent calls me the Sixers pull out the deal. We got a game that night. I don’t remember the game.
“I run homes, take a quick power nap and I don’t even know what happened in the game I was so mad.”
Barkley went on to have an illustrious career, an 11 times All-Star, but infamously never won the NBA title.
Barkley did not reveal the reasons the trade collapsed. Was it simply a change of heart from the Sixers? Or had the Lakers changed the terms? He may know – but the reasons were not put out for discussion.
The former Suns star retired in 2000 after a spell with the Rockets, and is best known nowadays for his spell as an analyst on Inside The NBA.
Barkley has also become noted by Lakers fans for his critical tone of the franchise. He recently claimed Luka Doncic could not play with LeBron James, and last night claimed the team are not contenders to win this year’s title.
Lakers fans responded to claims Barkley could have been part of their history, and believe his critique of the franchise is all tied in to his failed trade.
One wrote: “Bro was Mark Williams before Mark Williams! It all makes sense now,” referring to the Hornets star’s rescinded trade.
A second added: “So that’s why he hates them.. Makes sense.”
A third fan wrote: “That explains his hate for the Lakers,” with another adding: “May explain why he’s a generational Lakers hater.”
“That’s why he hates on the Lakers so much,” added another, with a clear theme developing, with a further message reading: “No wonder you hate on us.”
Barkley has always insisted he calls it down the line, and speaks what he sees. And not everybody agrees.
He clashed with current Lakers head coach JJ Redick earlier this season, with both taking exception to each other’s comments.
