Charles Barkley tried unique strategy so the Philadelphia 76ers would not draft him, but it did not work

Barkley initially did not want to join the 76ers

After he left Auburn to pursue his NBA dreams, Barkley wanted to be a star player who earns a good amount of money. With the 76ers, he might not have gotten the contract he wanted because the NBA had a restrictive hard cap back then.

Nowadays, the league is more forgiving, especially with the money the players are receiving. Back then, the league was restrictive, so Barkley was not a fan of joining up with the 76ers, where he would earn less than he wanted.

He wanted to avoid being picked fifth overall by Philadelphia by making himself heavier than usual. Despite his best efforts to convince them, he was too good to pass up, so the 76ers still picked him. He was an exceptional athlete, similar to LeBron James. The 76ers knew Barkley would be a surefire star.

“I was around 270 to be honest with you. My agent says, ‘We have to talk about this 76ers situation. They have a hard cap in the NBA, so you will get the minimum, one year and $75,000.’ I didn’t leave college for $75,000,” Barkley said in an interview with Graham Bensinger.

“This is two days we got to stop back in Philly before we got to New York for the Draft. We gotta make sure that the Sixers won’t draft me then. So, we went on a two-day eating binge.”

“We fly to Philly, I get on the scale, and I’m like 302. They’re cursing me, ‘You fat blah blah blah.’ When they said with the number five pick, the look on my face is ‘Are you kidding me?’ I left college for $75,000… In fairness to the Sixers, they ended up trading two guys, and my first contract was four years, $2,000,000.”

Barkley ended up becoming a legend in Philadelphia

While Barkley ended his time with the 76ers with a trade request, he was still one of their best-ever players. That is why they have a sculpture of him, which was unveiled in 2019.

He had the most successful stint of his career with the Phoenix Suns, leading them to the NBA Finals. However, Barkley still has a special part of his heart dedicated to Philadelphia.

Barkley also has his #34 jersey retired by the 76ers. He was a true legend who most people today don’t discuss. Barkley deserved all the praise he received because he was a true superstar who was unfortunately playing in the same era as superstars like Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan.

In eight years playing for the 76ers, Barkley averaged 23.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. It was a magical stint, but it unfortunately ended without a championship. To think, it was not the team he wanted at first, but he ended up adoring Philadelphia.