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Charles Barkley Reveals That He Wanted To Change His Name

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Feb 25, 2025 10:32 AM ET

Like Travis Kelce, a young Charles Barkley also aspired to change his name.

On The Steam Room podcast, Jason Kelce called Barkley "the biggest star in our household." The former Philadelphia Eagles center recalled his younger brother introducing himself to neighbors as "Charles" because of the NBA icon. Jason Kelce recently shared that same story about Travis on New Heights.

Ernie Johnson told Jason that a young Barkley actually wanted to be known as Travis because of a peer named Travis Abernathy. Anyone who hadn't previously heard the story may have assumed the Inside The NBA host was joking, but Barkley confirmed that it was "a hundred percent" accurate.

"I said, 'Mom, I want to change' because Travis was like the stud in town," Barkley said. "And I said, ‘Mom, I want to change my name to Travis.' She says, 'Why?' 'Because he's the best athlete in our city. I want to change my name, and I'll be a much better player.'"

"You did NOT say that to your mother"@TurnerSportsEJ & @JasonKelce couldn't believe Chuck's story about wanting to change his name pic.twitter.com/zMWnGTGcfq
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 24, 2025

His mom called him "the biggest damn idiot in the world" and said she wouldn't let him ditch Charles because he was named after his grandfather. That didn't deter Barkley.

"And I said, ‘Yeah, that’s a perfect example. He's a nobody.'"

Johnson was convinced Barkley was making up that response, but the Hall of Famer insisted that's "exactly what I said."

"You can't say that about her dad," Johnson admonished.

"No disrespect," Barkley replied. "He was a nobody."

This wasn't the first time Jason Kelce heard that anecdote from Barkley. The Chuckster has probably told the same story the same way many times, as he also made the "nobody" claim about his grandfather when telling the tale to the Kelces on a 2023 episode of New Heights.

"I love the name Travis," Barkley told the Kelce brothers. "You got to be able to play something if you're named Travis."

Charles Barkley and Travis Kelce both did well with their given birth names, but it's not too late to test out a trade.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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