Sports
Shannon Sharpe plays a therapist, and Charles Barkley talks about how his loser dad flew across the country and cursed him out for failing Spanish and not being able to graduate
NBA legend Charles Barkley recently joined host Shannon Sharpe on his “Club Shay Shay” podcast, where he talks about his upbringing in rural Alabama, his family dynamics, his temperament and his illustrious profession.
The former Philadelphia 76ers forward told a common story about his absent father, whom he saw only a few times as a child, flying across the country to reprimand him for not speaking Spanish.
During a conversation with Shannon Sharpe, Charles Barkley recalled two of the best moments from his youth, each of which involved leading his highschool basketball team to a championship.
Particularly during his senior yr of highschool, Barkley took his team to the state championship before he was injured. He then fell into depression, which affected his academic performance.
“Shannon, when I was in high school, a really traumatic event happened in my life,” he said, before explaining what he was pondering about as a teenager.
“I’m behind in all my classes. I caught up on every one of them except Spanish,” Barkley said. “I didn’t graduate, I had to go to summer school.”
Unaware of his son’s depression, Charles’ father, Frank Barkley, booked a flight from his home in California to Alabama.
“My dad, who lived in California my entire childhood, came over and gave me a new hole,” Barkley recalled. “And I’m already traumatized that I won’t make it to the march (for graduation), and when he arrived at that moment, I just (said) I’m not going to ever forgive that guy again for screaming at me like that because I used to be already down .
Shannon asked the current sports analyst how lively his father was in his life, and he replied that he could count on his hands how repeatedly he had seen his father face to face.
Barkley said, “Zero… I don’t think I saw him probably 10 times as a kid.”
According to Barkley, his father flew out to his own highschool reunion when the future NBA MVP’s evaluations got here in and determined he couldn’t graduate. That was the moment his father made the decision to grow to be a parent.
Barkley said that after seeing all his classmates graduate, he cried for two hours but decided he would never be in that place again.
“I stood nearby in the stadium, watched the graduation ceremony and cried for about two hours. And that night I said, ‘This is the last time I’m going to let anyone take control of my life,'” Barkley told Sharpe.
After talking about how hard-working his family’s matriarchs were and how they coped without their father around, he explained that he had finally had to come to terms with his absence.
“My dad wasn’t in the picture,” the 11-time All-Star explained at the starting of the two-hour conversation. “Me and my dad got along later in life, but at first I only had hostility and hatred towards him because he wasn’t around and didn’t do anything for us.”
Barkley said it was painful for him growing up as he watched his mother, a domestic employee and his grandmother, who worked in a chicken factory, trying to raise him and his three brothers. Despite financial difficulties and his father’s absence, Barkley noted that the family all the time seemed to have what they needed.
Shannon offered, “The forgiveness you gave him was for you. Because he lived his life, you were carrying around something that was weighing you down.
The host of “King Charles” agreed.
Barkley said one in every of the reasons he was so offended and furious on the court early in his skilled profession was because he was beating up his father and the teacher who failed him in Spanish, Ms. Gomez.
There was a final turning point in Barkley’s life. He said that when he met two-time NBA MVP Moses Malone, the 76ers center stepped in and became a father figure to young Barkley on their team, filling in where he really needed it.
Sports
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker brings an NBA championship desire with his Olympic experience
The gold medal went to the USA Basketball team. Mission completed on the 2024 Paris Games. U.S. men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr just answered his final query during his final news conference on Aug. 10 after his team defeated France within the gold medal game.
However, before leaving the stage of the press conference in Paris, Kerr stopped to deliver an unsolicited message to media around the globe.
“Devin Booker is an amazing basketball player. Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just desired to say that,” Kerr said.
The “underrated MVP” compliment meant so much to the Phoenix Suns guard.
“It meant everything. No one really asked him,” Booker recently told Andscape. “That was probably something that was weighing on his mind throughout the entire process. A 12 months ago I said what I desired to do for this team and what we desired to do for the country.
“It was a lot larger than all of us. Survival was something we’d discuss for the remainder of our lives.
The USA Basketball team was centered around NBA star icons LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. There has also been some discussion amongst media and fans in regards to the lack of playing time for Jayson Tatum and, to a lesser extent, Tyrese Haliburton. Lost within the shuffle was the all-around, unselfish play of sharpshooter Booker wearing the armband.
Booker was fourth in scoring for the U.S., averaging 11.7 points, 3.3 assists and a couple of.2 three-pointers made early in all six Olympics, and likewise had the perfect plus/minus (plus-130) for an American. Kerr was impressed with Booker’s deal with a difficult defense, regardless that he is thought for his offense, ball movement and the way he has adjusted to not being one in every of the highest options on offense.
“I just understood what was at stake,” Booker said. “I’m proud to be from this country. I’m happy with playing basketball. Even though it wasn’t invented in America, we dominated for a very long time. Obviously the world is incredibly talented and the sport is growing, however it was just one other message to allow them to know who we’re.
Booker said he also learned in regards to the preparations from his all-star team, watching the preparations on and off the court. The 28-year-old added that he gained lifelong friendships.
“It’s cool to see that everyone has their own issues,” Booker said. “In my 10 years in the NBA, I’ve learned that you have to choose what you can use for yourself. But the level of detail, the attention to detail, the intensity – it’s all consistent across the board.”
As for Durant, Booker said the bond between the 2 Sun stars “is close and grows stronger every day.” They live about five minutes from one another within the Phoenix area and commonly spend time at home and on the road. Most recently, Booker had to steer the Suns without Durant, who was sidelined with an injury.
The amazing Durant averaged 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and three.4 assists, which were tops for the Suns. However, the 14-time NBA All-Star has been sidelined since November 8 with a left calf strain. Suns players Bradley Beal (calf) and Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) were also sidelined. The Suns are 1-5 without Durant, which incorporates 4 straight losses.
Booker and Suns sans Durant’s next rivals shall be the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET). Over the last six games, Booker is averaging 24.1 points, shooting 43.2% from the sphere and making 16 of 43 three-pointers. Suns guard Tyus Jones said there was numerous pressure on Booker offensively due to the injury.
“We’re asking a lot of Book,” Jones said after Monday’s 109-99 loss to the visiting Orlando Magic. “It’s numerous pressure for him. We are very focused on it. They are physical with him, holding him and grabbing him, throwing two or three bodies at him all night long. So he’s got so much on his plate and we just need to proceed to seek out ways to get him open within the moments we will and proceed to assist him when other players are taking shots and making plays.
Booker currently has two Olympic gold medals, 4 NBA All-Star appearances and one NBA Finals appearance. The only thing missing from the Suns’ second-leading all-time scorer is an NBA championship. Since the Suns joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1968, they’ve yet to win a title.
After experiencing the joys of winning a gold medal, Booker as an NBA champion wants the gold Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy much more.
“Most of the guys that were there did it,” Booker said of his Olympic teammates who were NBA champions. “They were champions. This is standard for them. Anything lower than that, they need nothing to do with it. It’s contagious…
“That’s all I want. That’s all I want.”
Sports
New Unrivaled Women’s League Reveals Team Rosters and Coach Allocations
After months of introducing the players and coaches who will participate in its inaugural season, the brand new Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league announced its team rosters and coaching assignments on Wednesday.
Founded by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled consists of six teams of six players each. The league was created to offer WNBA players with a substitute for playing overseas in the course of the offseason.
Although initially announced as having 30 players, the league has since expanded to 36, which Collier attributed “above financial forecasts”. The league has announced 34 players publicly up to now.
The inaugural season of Unrivaled will begin on January 17, 2025, with all games going down in Miami. Here are the official teams for the inaugural season, as well season schedule.
Vinyl Basketball Club:
– Coach: Teresa Weatherspoon
Rose Basketball Club:
– Coach: Nola Henry
Mgła basketball club:
– Coach: Phil Handy
Lunar Owls Basketball Club:
– TBD: wild card
– Coach: DJ Sackmann
Phantom Basketball Club:
– TBD: wild card
– Coach: Adam Harrington
Laces Basketball Club:
– Coach: Andrew Wade
Sports
Andscape Roundtable: Are the Colorado Buffaloes College Football Team in the Playoffs?
Andscape digital leader Erik Horne, columnists William C. Rhoden and Clinton Yates, and JJT Media Group president Jean-Jacques Taylor discuss the situation in Colorado 49-24 a win over Utah, the Buffaloes entering the College Football Playoff conversation, what would realistically be the best franchise to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, our weekly “Where Will Deion Sanders Coach Next Year” briefings, and more.
-
Press Release8 months ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance6 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Press Release7 months ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Business and Finance8 months ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump7 months ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Fitness7 months ago
Black sportswear brands for your 2024 fitness journey
-
Theater8 months ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Ben Crump8 months ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests