Charles Barkley

Charles Wade Barkley is a former professional basketball player who is currently affiliated with the ‘Inside the NBA' television show as one of its hosts. Regarded as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominant players, Barkley played professionally for 16 years, during which he appeared as part of three different NBA teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets. Barkley developed an interest in basketball when he was a child and played the sport through high school. Despite having a good record, he did not garner any significant interest from the college scouts until the state high school semi-finals where his performance ultimately earned him recruitment by the Auburn University. Barkley played three seasons of college football and made himself available for the NBA Draft in 1984. Throughout his highly successful career, he was included in the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and the All-NBA Third Team one time. In 1993, he was named NBA's Most Valuable Player of the season. As part of the national squad, he won two gold medals at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics and one gold medal at the 1992 FIBA Americas Championship. He retired in 2000 and, since then, has built up a successful career as an NBA analyst.