Charles Barkley believes people like him because they know he’s honest: ‘I don’t have a hidden agenda’

Charles Barkley turned 60 this year and he’s reminisced on been on the spotlight ever since he was 20 years old starting out in the basketball courts, and now 23 years ever since his witty remarks made him a famous television icon.

As a player he became a Hall of Famer with 12,546 rebounds to his name, and now on the set he’s found the same amount of love he ever hoped for.

The TNT anchor recently went on 60 minutes and talked about his career, starting with his grandmother raising him in Leeds, Alabama, to the college game that changed everything for him.

Sixty nights a year, Charles Barkley is the go-to guy on the riveting, unscripted show "Inside the NBA." Barkley is known for his outspoken honesty.

He admits to @jon_wertheim that he’s even fallen asleep on the set during games he calls “just bad basketball.” pic.twitter.com/TEcNunLFyN

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) July 30, 2023

When asked why he’s loved by so many and has been able to make a career out of it, he believes his secret formula is his autheticity.

“I think they know that I’m gonna be honest, I’m gonna be fair, I don’t have a hidden agenda. Not many people on TV that you can say that about,” said the television host. “It’s just basketball! We’re not solvin’ inflation, we didn’t just get back from Afghanistan.”

Barkley says he respects the fans so much that he could never lie to them, and that’s why they perceive him as an ally, not a commentator who is protecting the interests of the NBA or network.

“Oh yeah, because the fan, the fans ain’t stupid. They just saw it. If I tell them that was a good game, they’re gonna be like, ‘What the hell is Charles (laugh) talkin’ about?'”, he explained. “Oh, I fall asleep, like, just sittin’ there watchin’, like, ‘Yo, man, this is just bad basketball.'”

Barkley also believes that his position gives him a great responsaibility, as he strives for being a good influence over society. The former player used Ja Morant’s firearm incidents as an example.

“Guns, especially in the Black community, the way we killing each other, is just really unfortunate and sad. And we got to – it’s always been a problem, but it seem like it’s gotten worse in the last few years – Black on Black crime and the way we’ve been killing each other,” he said.

Barkley recalls how angry he felt at his father who left him, but will always praise his grandmother for raising him in his absence

When asked about his childhood, it couldn’t avoid to stir up some emotions from the past regarding his father’s absence.

“I was very angry,” he said. “And I was even angrier cause he kept sayin’ he was gonna send us money, and he didn’t do it. ‘Cause like, you know, my mom and grandma were workin’ their behinds off. And the thing that was really bad about it, I was standin’ by the mailbox, like, once every three or four months.”

Check out Barkley’s complete “60 Minutes” interview alongside reporter and icon Jon Wertheim:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBY-CdpH0CA

He knows he owes so much to his grandmother Johnnie Mae, who raised him through poverty and sold alcohol during his childhood.

“So, we were really poor. We didn’t know at the time. So to make ends meet, she sold alcohol”, he recalled. “Yeah. So people would come over Friday and Saturday and play cards. Everybody starts drinkin’. Once somebody lose their money, there’s gonna be a fight.

“So my grandmother, this little old lady, she’s walkin’ around with a six-shooter. And she’s keepin’ the peace. I didn’t even know any better, Jon. I thought this was normal stuff.”