Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley

American basketball player

Moustache type: Nailbrush

Born: 20 2 1963 (Leeds, Alabama, USA)

In 1996, to commemorate the NBA’s 50th anniversary, a select panel chose the 50 greatest basketball players ever to grace the American game. “Sir Charles” Barkley was among them.

Barkley’s greatness centred around his ability to read where rebounds would bounce coupled with his determination in claiming them, plus his prolific scoring record (he scored 22.1 points per game on average and got 12,546 rebounds across his career).

He played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers (1984-92), the Phoenix Suns (1992-96), where he was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1993, and the Houston Rockets (1996-2000). He retired due to a knee injury.

Barkley was an occasionally-controversial character. In 1997 he defenestrated a man in New York. He was asked if he regretted the incident but was unrepentant, commenting: “I regret we weren’t on a higher floor.”

In 1992 Barkley won Olympic Gold as part of the USA dream team that also included that other great moustachioed American basketball player Michael Jordan, qv.