http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...ined-weight-houston-pay-cut-article-1.2692444 There’s nothing like some payback overindulgence. Hall of Fame power forward Charles Barkley took out his aggression at the buffet line during his final season in Houston after the team only paid him $8 million of the $12 million he says he was promised. “The only year that I was fat was my last year in Houston, because they had promised me $12 million,” Barkley told Bill Simmons in an unaired clip from “Any Given Wednesday,” according to Sporting News. “I was so pissed. When I showed up, the contract was only for $8 million. And I said, ‘What happened to my other $4 million?’ They said, ‘Well, we just decided to keep it.’” Barkley, who now serves as a basketball analyst on TNT, said that was in addition to a pay cut he’d already taken for the 1999-2000 season, which proved to be his last season in his 16-year career. Charles Barkley’s baseball swing is almost as bad as his golf one Barkley played just 20 games in the 1999-2000 season before retiring. (PAT SULLIVAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS) The 1993 MVP had already agreed to cut his paycheck so the Rockets could bring Scottie Pippen to Houston — the agreement had to be under the table after the Timberwolves had been fined $3.5 million and stripped of five first-round picks for a similar deal with Joe Smith. Barkley played just 20 games that season, shooting a career-low .477 field goal percentage and scoring just 289 points. “They said, 'We need you to take a paycut so we can sign Scottie.' I said, 'OK, I would love to play with Scottie’” Barkley told Simmons. “They said, 'We'll give you $12 million next year.' So when I showed up the next year, they bring me a contract. “I said, 'This looks like an 8.' They said, 'Yeah, we're going to give you $8 million.' I said, 'What about the other $4 million?' They're like, 'Well, we just changed our mind.' So I wasn't motivated.”
If you employer did this to you , you'd react differently. In retrospect, Charles should have gone public with this if he really wanted to screw Les, said that they had the same type of deal as the Twolves had with Joe Smith.
The truth is in the middle with everything so yes the Rockets owe Barkley money, no they did not say we just decided to keep it, Barkley was not lazy but he didn't keep himself in tiptop shape, yes Pippen was a dick but Barkley as well so both were to blame for the 99 season. We done with this now?
Barkey's games played in his 4 seasons in Houston: 53 68 42 20 He has the gall to say he was only fat and lazy for one season? Are you kidding me? This is just like Dwight expecting us to give him the max we said we wanted to give him after he got lazy and decided he only wanted to play half the season. Players trying to take advantage of teams who make promises should not try to screw them as much as possible.
Barkley is a cheater. Les Alexander is a cheater. **** the both of them. Makes me very happy the whole Pippen deal blew up in their faces.
If the Rockets promised to pay him $12,000,000 and only paid him $8,000,000 (and I know, I have to take Barkley's word at this), then I don't blame him at all for being pissed. I do wish he had gotten past it, at least as far as his current job was concerned. He's been working on payback for 20 years now.
i wouldn't react by getting fat and showing zero respect for the game lol, and i think most pro players would still care about winning or the legacy of their career. this fat chump went out like an epic loser.
sigh uh, the 42 was the strike year, in which he played every game. And the 53 included the damn bony-ass Shawn Bradley giving him a freak hip-pointer injury.
Wonder if there is a statute of limitations on this kind of stuff. Seems like the Rockets did the same thing as Minnesota and they got screwed hard for it.
Barkley will never change his mind on this. So the Rockets need to worry about February 23. That will determine if the Rockets are serious about the playoffs for this year.The trade deadline is a lot more important.
Le$ generously donated $4M to his favorite casino, um, er, charity of his choice instead. That's where it would have ended up anyway.
That's even worse. There was a strike and he returned out of shape. That means the only way his fat ass stayed in shape was by playing the game and not practicing. This is why he never won anything unlike MJ, Bird, Magic, Hakeem and yes Kobe who were all gym rats.
Yes, and I was -- and still am -- pissed about what a loser and quitter and scoundrel Pippen was. But, it does feel a little better knowing it was karma. Barkley, Les, and Pippen all deserve each other. It's too bad fans had to be caught in the crossfire.
