One of the toughest NBA players to ever compete was Charles Barkley. This holds true for him both physically and psychologically. Despite routinely losing in the playoffs over his 16 years of league play, Chuck kept looking for opportunities to win at least one ring.
His entire game rested on how tenaciously he was willing to compete in the paint for rebounds, putbacks, and shots at the rim if he was a physical presence. It’s easy to conclude that Chuck was a very resilient man given that he was one of the most powerful painters of all time.
But during his 16th season in the NBA, he would have a reality check from which he would never fully recover. In December 1999, when playing the Philadelphia 76ers, he tore his quadriceps. He called his wife and sobbed over the end of his career.
Charles Barkley returned for A Single Game to Finish His Career Off the Right Way
After the 1999–2000 season, Charles Barkley planned to retire, but he wanted to do it properly and voluntarily. Instead, Houston Rockets staff members and teammates carried him off the field. Chuck stated he didn’t want his career to come to an end in that manner during an interview with Ernie Johnson.
Thus, after going through the necessary recovery procedures to mend his damaged quad, he persuaded the Rockets’ coaching staff to allow him to participate in one game. After some hesitation, HC Rudy finally consented and subsequently included him in a game in an effort to help him get a rebound and a basket.
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Chuck acknowledged that after his injury, the rim appeared to be 50 feet in the air, so it wasn’t simple. As luck would have it, though, the ball would fall into his lap after several minutes of his battling for a rebound and sprinting across the floor, and he would go up for a lay-up and actually get fouled.
That was Barkley’s final play and the last point he ever scored, and Rudy took him out of the game right away.
At the end of his career Charles Barkley blew out his quad, then went through a tough rehab just so he could return for one last game, and get one last rebound before he retires: “The rim looked like it was 50 feet in the air.” pic.twitter.com/F0HAVv3743
hoops bot (@hoops_bot) February 12, 2023
