Barkley: A Biography
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- Create Date：2023-01-15 06:16:35
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Timothy Bella
- ISBN：1335484973
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Summary
*A Good Morning America Buzz Book*
*A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2022*
The definitive biography of Charles Barkley， exploring his early childhood， his storied NBA career， and his enduring legacy as a provocative voice in American pop culture
He’s one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years。 Passionate， candid， iconoclastic， and gifted both on and off the court， Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large。
Yet few people know the real Charles。 Raised by his mother and grandmother in Leeds， Alabama， he struggled in his early years to fit in until he found a sense of community and purpose in basketball。 In the NBA he went toe-to-toe with the biggest legends in the game， from Magic to Michael to Hakeem to Shaq。 But in the years since， he has become a bold agitator for social change， unafraid to grapple， often brashly， with even the thorniest of cultural issues facing our nation today。
Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research， Timothy Bella’s Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked-about icons in the world of sports。
*A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2022*
The definitive biography of Charles Barkley， exploring his early childhood， his storied NBA career， and his enduring legacy as a provocative voice in American pop culture
He’s one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years。 Passionate， candid， iconoclastic， and gifted both on and off the court， Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large。
Yet few people know the real Charles。 Raised by his mother and grandmother in Leeds， Alabama， he struggled in his early years to fit in until he found a sense of community and purpose in basketball。 In the NBA he went toe-to-toe with the biggest legends in the game， from Magic to Michael to Hakeem to Shaq。 But in the years since， he has become a bold agitator for social change， unafraid to grapple， often brashly， with even the thorniest of cultural issues facing our nation today。
Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research， Timothy Bella’s Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked-about icons in the world of sports。
Reviews
Jonathan Sanders
，
As a huge fan of sports biographies， I was excited to pick this one up when I saw it advertised in early November。 I knew very little about Barkley's life aside from his 90s-era advertisements， as well as his post-NBA television work。 So it was refreshing to read a biography which pulled together every thread of the man's life， from his childhood in Leeds， Ala。 through his college and NBA experiences， giving us the background to understand how many of the things we thought we knew about him were As a huge fan of sports biographies， I was excited to pick this one up when I saw it advertised in early November。 I knew very little about Barkley's life aside from his 90s-era advertisements， as well as his post-NBA television work。 So it was refreshing to read a biography which pulled together every thread of the man's life， from his childhood in Leeds， Ala。 through his college and NBA experiences， giving us the background to understand how many of the things we thought we knew about him were either wrong or exaggerated。 Charles Barkley is a man who speaks his mind， well known for his 'takes' and often contrarian nature， but there's a lot more beneath the surface， something this book does a great job of illustrating。 Even if you can't stand sports， you'll still find a lot to love about what Bella does in this unauthorized deep-dive into the life of a basketball legend。 。。。more
Steve Wolcott
，
It didn't hold my interest especially after I found out that Barkley didn't cooperate with the author and participate in the book It didn't hold my interest especially after I found out that Barkley didn't cooperate with the author and participate in the book 。。。more
Jim Blessing
，
This was an entertaining book on Charles Barkley。
Matt McDonald
，
Totally enjoyed the walk through my childhood that highlighted Charles Barkley’s time in Phoenix。 Being brought up to present time felt surreal when I was walked outside of the mental time capsule I’ve kept him encapsulated in for most of my life， but will always respect and appreciate the man; agree or disagree。
Scott Martin
，
（Audiobook） This work looks at one of the most unique of superstar athletes to ever play basketball and then transition into a superstar commentator。 Barkley came from poor upbringings in Leeds， Alabama， but was able to leverage his inherent talent for playing basketball into a way out of poverty and into superstardom。 The work does travel over the well-documented accounts of Barkley as a player， his more famous/infamous moments in the press， as well as his varied post-playing activities。 He has （Audiobook） This work looks at one of the most unique of superstar athletes to ever play basketball and then transition into a superstar commentator。 Barkley came from poor upbringings in Leeds， Alabama， but was able to leverage his inherent talent for playing basketball into a way out of poverty and into superstardom。 The work does travel over the well-documented accounts of Barkley as a player， his more famous/infamous moments in the press， as well as his varied post-playing activities。 He has done things his way， for better or worse。 Plus， Barkley is one of those individuals who can skirt the line， but not really get punished too severely for crossing it a little。 Overall， the more informative parts of this book to me were the details of his personal life， which I had little insight into as a sports fan。 Always felt he was a good pickup for the all-in Rockets in 1997， and one wonders what if Barkley hadn't ruptured his tricep against Utah in 1998。 Still， has found a good niche as a co-host of Inside the NBA on TNT， and is generally enjoyable to listen to for commentary and self-deprecating humor。 You don't have to be a Barkley fan to enjoy the work or get something out of it。 Unfortunate that the author couldn't get too much primary source input from the man， but he was through in his other sourcing and accounts。 Audiobook reader is solid for this one， but the rating would be the same regardless of the format。 。。。more
Tyler Pellom
，
A fine book。 Not much in the way of revelatory information an avid basketball fan wouldn’t know。 I suppose that’s because Charles didn’t sit down to be interviewed。 It’s nice to get a reminder of the dominant player Chuck was before he became the goofy character on TV。
Griffin Merkert
，
probably the book to read on barkley but i feel like it could have been better
Joe
，
I don't like biographies because there's too much gossip and unfounded negative slander。 Bella does a decent job being a little less negative， however， it was not written very clearly， nor edited well。Too long at 439 pages。 I would have given it 4 stars if it was。 "I may be wrong but I doubt it" might be a better option to read。 Michael Wilbon is an American treasure。 I don't like biographies because there's too much gossip and unfounded negative slander。 Bella does a decent job being a little less negative， however， it was not written very clearly， nor edited well。Too long at 439 pages。 I would have given it 4 stars if it was。 "I may be wrong but I doubt it" might be a better option to read。 Michael Wilbon is an American treasure。 。。。more
Stuart Shiffman
，
Interesting biography of a complex athlete。 The book suffers a little bit from too much fawning over Barkley’s mishaps throughout his career。 But overall a very good and entertaining account of Barkley’s career。
Ken Heard
，
Although I wasn't a big Charles Barkley fan when he played in the NBA （I was a Celtics fan）， I thought Timothy Bella's biography on the player was excellent。 He did thorough research on Barkley's life， including his childhood through his days as a rascal at TNT network。And he presented it in a very fair fashion。 We all heard about the incident when Barkley was accused of spitting on a girl。 Bella found the girl years later and wrote about her side in a balanced way。 He did the same when Barkley Although I wasn't a big Charles Barkley fan when he played in the NBA （I was a Celtics fan）， I thought Timothy Bella's biography on the player was excellent。 He did thorough research on Barkley's life， including his childhood through his days as a rascal at TNT network。And he presented it in a very fair fashion。 We all heard about the incident when Barkley was accused of spitting on a girl。 Bella found the girl years later and wrote about her side in a balanced way。 He did the same when Barkley was accused of throwing a man through a plate glass window at a bar as well。And， while some may think Barkley was an oaf， Bella also showed his compassion -- Barkley constantly gave money to charities and bought food for the homeless who lived under an overpass。 The impression I got after reading the book was that Barkley， like lots of athletes， have a bolsterous way， but it also hides the fear of failure。 I thought Bella did an excellent job of conveying Barkley's inner thoughts in a very balance and eye-opening way。This was one of the better sports biographies I've read in years。 。。。more
David Barney
，
I was a fan of Charles Barkley when he played in the NBA。 I am still a fan of his an enjoy what he does on TNT。 He is a straight shooter and speaks his mind。 Not everyone likes it， yet he speaks his mind。 I enjoyed reading this book。
Tamara
，
I'm not a Charles Barkley fan， but I enjoyed this book。 I'm not a Charles Barkley fan， but I enjoyed this book。 。。。more
Lance
，
Whether one is familiar with Charles Barkley as a basketball player or as a broadcaster for TNT’s coverage of the NBA， he is sure to be entertaining and possibly controversial， but always refreshingly honest。 Those traits are on full display in this very good biography of Barkley by Tim Bella。The amount of material on Barkley， even without the direct participation by the subject， that was obtained by Bella through research and interviews was amazing。 The sections on Barkley’s childhood and youth Whether one is familiar with Charles Barkley as a basketball player or as a broadcaster for TNT’s coverage of the NBA， he is sure to be entertaining and possibly controversial， but always refreshingly honest。 Those traits are on full display in this very good biography of Barkley by Tim Bella。The amount of material on Barkley， even without the direct participation by the subject， that was obtained by Bella through research and interviews was amazing。 The sections on Barkley’s childhood and youth was especially impressive given these limitations。 From those beginnings， a reader will see why Barkley became the person he did， given the strength and guidance he received from his mother and grandmother。 Like many other biographies of Black athletes， sadly Barkley had to grow up in Leeds， Alabama without a father figure in his life， but he was able to discover basketball to not only avoid crime， but also to eventually earn a college scholarship to Auburn University。While at Auburn， not only did Barkley become a superstar college player and make the War Eagles noticed in the basketball world as well as football， but it was also here when his weight was as big a story as his scoring or rebounding。 His appetite for fast food seemed to be as big as his thunderous dunks and it was always a source of contention for coaches and the press， from high school to the NBA。 Some of the anecdotes about this aspect of Barkley’s personality are hilarious， some are dead serious， but all are important to understanding the type of person Bella is portraying。 The same goes for Barkley’s many controversial statements and incidents。 The most famous， and the one that Bella explores in depth， is the Nike commercial in which Barkley declares that he is not a role model。 Bella does an excellent job of covering all aspects of this topic， as both supporters and detractors of this statement are interviewed。 The same type of balanced writing is present in Barkley’s other issues， such as when he meant to spit at a heckler while playing for the 76ers， but instead it landed on an 8-year-old girl。 That incident， and Barkley’s reaction and treatment of the young girl well into adulthood for her， showed the gentler side of Barkley， which Bella also portrays well。Of course， there is Barkley’s time on the basketball court and his time with three teams。 It was in Philadelphia where his NBA fame started and grew with the 76ers。 When he wanted out of the City of Brotherly Love， he won even more accolades， including being named the MVP of the NBA while leading the Phoenix Suns into the NBA Finals in 1993。 The Suns fell short of winning a championship and while they were still a formidable team， they never reached the Finals again during Barkley’s time there， which ended in 1996 when he was traded to the Houston Rockets for one last shot at a title， that didn’t happen。 He was forced to retire due to injuries， playing his last game in 2000。 This is the heart of Bella’s writing and there is a great deal of detail on Barkley’s time with all three teams as well as his college career with Auburn and both Olympic teams Barkley was a part of while a professional player。 The Dream Team of 1992 is covered as well as the 1996 team that also won a gold medal。 Whatever portion of Barkley’s basketball career a reader wants to know about， he or she is sure to find new material in this book。While I generally enjoy this level of detail about the sport in any type of book， here it was so detailed that it made the story of Barkley’s life slow down and at times I wasn’t sure which season was being described， especially during his time with the Suns and Rockets。 It is still the most complete book on Charles Barkley that one can read right now， even more than his two memoirs。 This is recommended for all Barkley fans。 I wish to thank Hanover Square Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
John Schorg
，
This biography is the product of extensive， exhaustive research， along with well-thought-out context that helps bring added resonance。 A book worthy of its subject。
Jake
，
Makes me want to watch a marathon of 80s and 90s NBA clips on YouTube。
HTP Books
，
Basketball， Entertainment & Performing Arts， Sports Biographies & Autobiographies
Wade Rials
，
Timothy Bella has written an incredible biography of Charles Barkley。 As a lifelong Auburn fan and a fan who followed Barkley throughout my life in all his different roles I enjoyed the insight Bella offers。 He is fair in his assessment and captures personal stories that illuminate highlights of Barkley’s journey。 Bella’s story of the fight between Barkley and Shaq and what occurred afterwards is worth the cost of the book。 Bella displays both the good and bad sides to Barkley’s life。 I apprecia Timothy Bella has written an incredible biography of Charles Barkley。 As a lifelong Auburn fan and a fan who followed Barkley throughout my life in all his different roles I enjoyed the insight Bella offers。 He is fair in his assessment and captures personal stories that illuminate highlights of Barkley’s journey。 Bella’s story of the fight between Barkley and Shaq and what occurred afterwards is worth the cost of the book。 Bella displays both the good and bad sides to Barkley’s life。 I appreciate the way Bella displays the philanthropic heart of Charles Barkley that many may not be aware of。 This aspect is important in understanding who this man truly is。 As a fan of biography and Charles Barkley I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Barkley: A Biography
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Barkley: A Biography&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Barkley: A Biography&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0