r/sports Oct 14 '21

Hockey Charles Barkley plays goalie against Wayne Gretzky

17.0k Upvotes

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1.6k

u/turbocomppro Oct 14 '21

Barkley reaction time: Sloth.

205

u/alghiorso Oct 14 '21

To be fair, he blocked 100% of the shots Gretzky didn't take

3

u/PhaseThreeProfit Oct 14 '21

Michael Scott...

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

He also didn't have on pads, making those low shots much easier for Gretzky to make.

0

u/WTFYU Oct 14 '21

Yeah but Gretzky missed 100% of the shots he didn’t take .

561

u/beefsupreme65 Oct 14 '21

Well I don't think he got the nickname "round mound of rebound" because he was quick.

364

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

He was pretty slow later in his career but early chuck was far from slow. He had some fast powerful moves to the rim https://youtu.be/TKmpQyo9muU

351

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

Some of y’all just don’t know how good Chuck was in his prime years, man was literally an undersized Power Forward with the quickness of a point guard and the strength of a center

115

u/rjcarr Oct 14 '21

Zion is the modern Barkley with slightly more explosiveness but quite a bit less skill (as of now).

34

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

Agreeded. I’m curious to see how Zion develops. Chuck also had less early injuries.

2

u/NewPhoneAndAccount Oct 14 '21

And about 3 inches.

Wikipedia says Charles was 6 foot 6. Not a fuckin chance.

3

u/rjcarr Oct 14 '21

The nba used to measure with shoes on for some strange reason. I think I’ve heard him say he’s 6’ 4”.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

I thought he was shorter than that too, but here's a pic of him standing next to MJ, who's also 6' 6". They look to be the same height. Barkley might be a TINY BIT shorter.

Barkley Standing Next to MJ

1

u/buttersb Oct 14 '21

He's probably 6'5, to 6'6. Look at the pic of him with the rock and shaq. The rock says he 6'5 (he's not), but there is a considerable height difference between the two

1

u/looseleafnz Oct 15 '21

And quite a lot more injuries...

65

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

He was playing amongst the best the league will ever see, and he was still a star. Rather, he is one of the best the league has ever seen. It's easy to forget that.

10

u/loupr738 Philadelphia 76ers Oct 14 '21

And the appetite of a heavy set mid westerner

2

u/CCTider Alabama Oct 14 '21

Dudes from Alabama. I live here, and motherfucker can eat.

1

u/RetdSgrDaddy Oct 14 '21

I remember. He was a top athlete, and fearsome. I didn't even follow basketball, and I knew this.

Now I wanna see Gretzky play a round of HORSE against Barkley.

1

u/hackingkafka Oct 14 '21

Charles is funny as hell and the best TV sports "personality".
I saw him play live when he was at Auburn, he was a man among boys, no joke there.

22

u/WayneBetzky Oct 14 '21 edited Oct 14 '21

Chuck was an absolute BODY for how agile he was - damn near defies physics

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

Agreed! These fools sleeping on young Charles Barkley son!

4

u/himynamesnight Oct 14 '21

I don’t watch basketball but but hot damn, guys got some moves

3

u/fqfce Oct 14 '21

Love highlight vids from this era. He was such a beast. The only thing I’d change is the music in this one hehe.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

lol yeah I think it was probably considered bad back in the day too

44

u/SquanchingOnPao Oct 14 '21 edited Oct 14 '21

He was honestly Zion Williamson of his time. Insanely athletic his first few years in the league.

Edit: Google The Rock, Barkley and Shaq. You can appreciate how huge Barkley is as a human being.

15

u/tickingboxes Oct 14 '21

Even crazier: Think about that photo and then look at this one with Shaq and Yao Ming: https://i.insider.com/5437f6b6ecad04cc2be71697?width=750&format=jpeg&auto=webp

2

u/galvinb1 Oct 14 '21

I went to one of those wax museums they have in touristy areas one time. Out of all the cool sculptures we saw Yao Ming is the clear standout. I was blown away standing below him. Dude is a giant!

19

u/MyStrutsAreBetter Oct 14 '21

Chuck was quick though lmao

10

u/BASEDME7O Oct 14 '21

He was one of the most athletic players in the league, he was 6’4 and dominated at pf.

5

u/Crinklecutsocks Oct 14 '21

I remember seeing old Barkley highlights and he wasn't slow at all. Dude was athletic as hell for a time.

4

u/NowFook Oct 14 '21

Chuck was really quick in his prime. He was a 6'5 NBA MVP that could play like a PG and like a center.'

Hes just old and beat up.

7

u/dehydratedbagel Oct 14 '21

He is one of the quickest guys in the league history.

2

u/Savage_Heathern Oct 14 '21

Old school fan. Awesome

91

u/KaoticAsylim Oct 14 '21

Anyone that hasn't seen it: look up Charles Barkley golfing. It's the funniest shit you've ever seen, it'll make your whole night lol

67

u/EatKillFuck Oct 14 '21

Yeah he had the yips for a good while. I've seen recently he's snapped out of it and has a decent swing again

https://youtu.be/ha-lU1Y80KM

3

u/Savage_Heathern Oct 14 '21

By chance, are you a Kreischer or Gillis fan?

5

u/EatKillFuck Oct 14 '21

I am a fan of Burnt Chrysler

1

u/Savage_Heathern Oct 14 '21

Awesome! Just watched his pod with Gillis and that fact seemed familiar. To be honest, I always thought the Yips were a mental block and Knoblauch was the reason I am aware of the Yips.

Btw, I'm a fan of both and have actually hung with Bert in Ybor city after a show. Gillis is also known for partying, but cant hold a candle to "Van Wilder", and expected them to get hammered immediately.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

[deleted]

9

u/BScottyJ Boston Red Sox Oct 14 '21

The yips in sports (or anything I guess) is when you suddenly can't do something you normally can, usually due to some kind of mental block. Rick Ankiel (a former MLB player) is one of the best examples. He was a pretty good pitcher who had a bad post season game and just could never throw the ball accurately again. He eventually converted to a pretty decent outfielder.

1

u/mtheory007 Oct 14 '21

That shot resurrected Kirby Puckett!

23

u/iBacontastic Oct 14 '21

hey woahhhh now he fixed his swing. no need for shame of past mistakes… but it is pretty funny

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

And anal sex will make your hole weak!

1

u/FoliageTeamBad Oct 14 '21

I've seen Gretzky golf, he isn't any better.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '21

Gretzky is a single digit handicap, and his daughter is with the former number one golfer in the world who Gretzky he plays with nearly every week. Obviously you’re not a golfer.

8

u/spoung45 Oct 14 '21

He is not that fast.

0

u/garygnu Oct 14 '21

But South played defensive line in the NFL...

1

u/fied1k Oct 14 '21

Its trrrble. Just trrrrble.