There will only ever be one Chuck.
The Charles Barkley you see today on Inside the NBA is exactly the one you saw dominate basketball in the late 80’s and 1990’s.
Charismatic and unapologetic. The words describe Barkley then and now.
Unfortunately for the Hall of Famer, that’s what got him into some hot water back in October 1997 when he pushed a young man through a glass window at a restaurant in downtown Orlando.
Barkley faced charges of aggravated battery and resisting arrest without violence.
The man who was shoved through the window had allegedly been pestering and taunting Barkley and the woman he was with all night.
He reportedly threw ice at them, which led to Barkley putting him through a window.
Longtime NBA trainer Tim Grover who worked with Barkley, was there that night and recalled the incident on The Complex Sports Podcast.
“We were at a restaurant and this guy kept asking him for an autograph, asking him for an autograph, and Charles politely said, ‘Not right now, I’ll take care of you later. I’m having dinner with friends,’” Grover said.
“And this guy kept … he was just continuing, continuing, continuing, continuing.
“So as this guy’s leaving, he said something to Charles. Oh, it p***** Charles off so much.
“So Charles literally got the guy and threw him through the glass window of the restaurant.”
“Let there be no debate: If you bother me, I’m going to whip your ass,” Barkley told reporters later that day, per Esquire.
“The guy threw ice in my face, and I slammed his ass into the window. I’m not denying that. I defended myself. He got what he deserved.”
Grover went on to reveal what Barkley said to the judge on his court date.
“(The judge) goes, ‘Mr. Barkley, do you have any regrets about your actions?’” Grover recalled.
“And (Barkley) goes, ‘Your honor, I absolutely do.’ And she goes, ‘Well what were those?’ (Barkley) goes, ‘I should’ve threw him out the sixth-floor window instead of the first-floor window.’”
After the incident, Barkley spoke to the media about the communication he had with NBA commissioner David Stern and the league office, giving them credit for their support.
“I think they were very supportive,” he said. “They understand where I’m coming from. In life, things happen and everybody has their opinion on what’s right and what’s wrong. Are my actions justified or not?
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“But if I get arrested, it’s embarrassing for the league.
“No matter what anybody says to me, I will not be baited. If somebody throws a drink on me, I’ve got to let somebody else handle it.
“I’m not asking people not to say hello to me. I’m just asking people not to throw drinks on me. And not to threaten me physically.”
The league suggested at the time that Barkley, whose former team the Houston Rockets are the Western Conference’s No.2 seed in this year’s playoffs, get a bodyguard.
The Round Mound of Rebound has always been known to toe the line, and that’s what makes Barkley who he is.
In front of the camera, off the camera, and in dimly-lit restaurants in downtown Orlando.
