I've always liked Barkley; he was a great player. But I REALLY began to admire the guy
for a different reason: HE SAYS EXACTLY WHAT'S ON HIS MIND, POLITICS BE DAMNED.
In 1992 the USA sent our NBA pros to the Summer Olympics (along with a couple
collegians) for the very first time....because we'd LOST in 1988 to foreign "amateurs"
who were, in fact, pros.
...At the opening ceremonies, the USA Basketball team was introduced. One by one,
the Americans -- Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and several others -- went up to the
microphone and SAID SOMETHING POLITE, AND POLITICALLY CORRECT.
"It's an honor to be here".
"We're looking forward to some great competition".
Ho-hum...
Then Barkley stepped up: "YA'LL TOOK SOMETHIN' THAT BELONGS TO US!
WE'VE COME TO TAKE IT BACK!"
Then they went 8-0 with an average winning margin of 40 points!
No wonder the guy has a career in sports media! cheersgif