69 Charles Barkley Quotes On Speaking His Mind, Basketball, And More

The best Charles Barkley quotes (and funniest):

Charles Barkley is a retired professional basketball player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

He played in the NBA for 16 seasons, mainly for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets. 

During his career, Barkley achieved a ton. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1993, and was named to the All-NBA First Team five times.

Barkley also won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the United States men's basketball team in 1992 and 1996.

After retiring from basketball, Barkley became a sports analyst and commentator. He is currently one of the members on the television show "Inside the NBA" on TNT, where he provides insightful (and entertaining, mostly entertaining) commentary on NBA games.

Off-the-court, Barkley is most known for his personality and outspokenness. On-the-court, Barkley was known for his rebounding ability, scoring prowess, and his ability to dominate games despite being undersized for his position.

Barkley's impact on and off the court has made him a favorite among basketball fans.

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Charles Barkley On Speaking His Mind And Being Himself

1. "People like you as long as you agree with them. But that doesn't bother me."

2. "Just because you say something doesn't make it controversial, and it doesn't make you a bad person."

3. "I never would say a player stinks. Ever. I'll tell you their team stinks, and first of all, they know their team stinks. And the fans know their team stinks."

  

 

4. "We're not all supposed to think alike."

5. "To think that everybody's like you is silly."

6. "I don't care what people think. People are stupid."

7. "I don’t create controversies. They’re there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention."

8. "I think you have an obligation to be honest."

9. "If I'm going to be straightforward, like I always try to be, I know guys are going to come back at me sometimes."

10. "I don't think of myself as giving interviews. I just have conversations. That gets me in trouble."

 

 

11. "I’m not trying to be the next Michael Jordan, I’m trying to be the first Charles Barkley."

12. "You can talk without saying a thing. I don’t ever want to be that type of person."

More quotes: Top 50 Michael Jordan Quotes About Basketball and Life >>

 

 

Charles Barkley Quotes on Handling Criticism

13. "I'm willing to sit down with anybody and have constructive criticism." 

14. "Any time you criticize these young guys, they call you a hater. They never ask you if the criticism is fair or not."

 

 

15. "If I screw up, I'm gonna say, 'You know what? I really screwed up.' That's all you can do. Some people gonna forgive you, some people not gonna forgive you. That's just the way it works."

16. "I'm not going to get upset because somebody said something bad about me."

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Funny Charles Barkley Quotes

17. "Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train."

18. "These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it."

19. "There's no such thing as a vegetarian."

20. "Nobody doesn't like meat."

 

 

21. "I love everybody. Some I love to be around, some I love to avoid, and others I’d love to punch in the face."

22. "Just because you watch 'Grey's Anatomy' doesn't mean you can do the operation."

23. "I might go my whole life stealing money. I got paid to play basketball, which is a scam. I get paid to watch basketball, which is a scam."

24. "Somebody hits me, I'm going to hit him back. Even if it does look like he hasn't eaten in a while."

25. "My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character."

26. "Golf is fun - until you hit somebody in the head."

27. "I think that the team that wins game five will win the series. Unless we lose game five."

28. "I don't know what that gas is made of, but it can't smell any worse than Ernie Johnson's gym bag."

29. "At some point, I don't want to have any obligation. And just chill out."

  

 

30. "I don’t hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime."

31. "I remember sitting down with the Rockets and saying, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna retire.’ They said, ‘Well, we’ll give you $9 million.’ And I said, ‘You got a pen on you?'"

32. "If I weren’t earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming."

33. "If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she’s ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he can’t play a lick."

34. "I read that heavy drinking is bad for your health. I decided I better stop reading."

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Basketball Quotes From Charles Barkley

35. "I'm a mad dog whose only concern is winning."

36. "If I got a chance to play with another great player, I want to do that. I mean, the objective is to win."

 

 

37. "The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not."

38. "I know I'm never as good or bad as one single performance. I've never believed in my critics or my worshippers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena."

39. "LeBron is a great player and a great guy, but he's a drama queen."

40. "I think it's a travesty that the NBA can't just tell these guys to play basketball two days in a row. It's just a joke to me. We flew commercial, and we were able to play back-to-back."

41. "I would love to be a general manager just for the challenge."

42. "See, my hope and dream is that people have a good time watching basketball. It's not church. It's not serious."

  

 

43. "I always laugh when people ask me about rebounding techniques. I've got a technique. It's called just go get the damn ball."

44. "I love sports because it takes me away from reality, and I tell people, 'No matter how bad your life is, if you are having problems at home, you are having problems at work, that's the beauty of sports.'"

45. "I don’t believe in statistics. There are too many factors that can’t be measured. You can’t measure a ballplayer’s heart."

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Charles Barkley's Confidence

46. "You gotta believe in yourself…I believe I’m the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."

47. "Look, I'm in the top 20 of players who ever lived."

  

 

48. "I may be wrong, but I doubt it."

49. "I’m never embarrassed."

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Charles Barkley Quotes About Success

50. "One thing about being famous is the people around you, you pay all their bills so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check."

51. "Fans have this perception that they can say anything to you because you are a celebrity."

  

 

52. "If you can’t slam with the best, then jam with the rest."

53. "If you get a chance to play with great players, that's half the battle."

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Best Quotes From Sir Charles On Role Models

54. "I'm not paid to be a role model, parents should be role models."

55. "Kids are born into the situation they're born into, and obviously, they have no control over that. And we, as adults, it's up to us to take care of kids - that's part of your moral responsibility. I always tell people, 'There's two groups we should take care of - old people and young people.'"

  

 

56. "I don’t believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models."

57. "I'm not a role model...Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids." 

58. "I think the biggest problem is parents are so concerned with being friends with their kids. You’re not their friend."

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Other Motivational Quotes By Charles Barkley

59. "I think sports has done a disservice for a lot of black kids thinking they can only be successful through athletics and entertainment. I want them to know they can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, fireman, police officers, etc."

60. "I'm never going to be one of those guys who gets on TV and yells and screams. That's not how I do my business. But I'm very aware of social responsibility." 

61. "It's my job, with the position of power that I'm in and being able to be on television, I'm supposed to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves." 

62. "The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work."

63. "I can't believe anything I hear on television anymore."

 

 

64. "I truly believe that building bridges, not building walls and not giving into fear, will make our communities better."

65. "My message is simple: take control of your life."

66. "I do not use words like liberal or conservative. You can ask me a question, and I will give you an answer. Those are words rich people on television use to divide and conquer."

67. "Poor people cannot rely on the government to come to help you in times of need. You have to get your education. Then nobody can control your destiny."

68. "My idea of religion is we are supposed to bring people together."

69. "There’s only 5 real jobs in the world. Teacher, fireman, policeman, doctor and somebody who is in the armed service. If you don’t have one of those 5 jobs, you shouldn’t take your life that serious."

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