SI Vault Michael and Me Jackie MacMullan December 20, 1999
Reflecting on his stellar career, Charles Barkley credits the
friend who was there for him every step—and misstep—of the way
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20, 1999  Michael And Me   View CoverRead All Articles View This
Issue  His first shot as a professional was a dunk, and that was
a tremendous relief to Charles Barkley, a 21-year-old rookie
forward for the Philadelphia 76ers, a plump kid from Auburn who
had never averaged more than 16 points a game in his life. When
he was drafted with the fifth pick in 1984, some thought he was
too small to rebound in the pros, but Barkley, who measured
6'4¾" in his stocking feet, wasn't worried about that. He was
terrified, however, that he might not be able to score. "My
attitude going in was, I wanted to average 10 rebounds a game
for 10 years and make a million dollars in one season," he said
last Friday.  His friend Michael Jordan, picked two spots ahead
of him by the Chicago