“…if we all knew Magic was going to live this long I would’ve gotten the MVP ( ’92 All-Star Game) and Magic probably wouldn’t have made the Olympic team”, Clyde Drexler
Apparently the statute of limitations on holding a grudge had expired as far as Drexler was concerned back in 2012.
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Clyde Drexler calls out Magic Johnson
When the producers of the 1992 Dream Team 20th Anniversary made their list of events at that time, they never had a clue of all the bad blood that was going to come out twenty years later.
Their marketing strategy was to paint the 1992 Dream Team as a Woodstock type Love Fest for the public, but in less than a month’s time back then it was heading on another direction very, very quickly.
From Isaiah Thomas clearly being kept off the team because of Michael Jordan and others that did not want him as a teammate to Clyde Drexler calling Magic Johnson out for engaging in bad behavior and then playing the victim role.
It was becoming one entertaining car wreck.
The fact was that Isiah Thomas was so furious at the snub that when the Detroit Pistons played the Utah Jazz during the regular season, he scored 44 points and was embarrassing John Stockton the entire game.
The only reason Thomas did not do more damage was because Karl Malone tried to decapitate him with an elbow to the head that sent Thomas to the locker-room requiring 40 stitches.
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Karl Malone elbows Isiah Thomas
Then Charles Barkley came to the rescue of the Dream Team, once again, just like he did back in 1992.
He started telling jokes, his one liners and just lightening the whole mood, again!
Charles Barkley was the only member from the 1992 Dream Team that truly enjoyed himself in Barcelona, Spain.
While his teammates sat in their hotel rooms watching Television and ordering room service, Barkley was out and about painting Barcelona red.
Charles Barkley had been drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and as a NBA rookie, he had to share a locker-room with established NBA All-Stars Julius Erving and Moses Malone.
Barkley knew his place in Philadelphia and he knew his place in the Dream Team’s Food Chain.
Charles to this very day, remains in love with life. He is man that is just as comfortable in a room full of celebrities as he’s pounding a few cold ones with the locals and it really comes across Television, whenever he is on the NBA on TNT nowadays. He kissed the ass of a donkey once on Television, after he lost a bet about, Houston Rocket, Yao Ming’s NBA skills.
He has said many times that he would always feel blessed and thankful for the game of basketball.
How the Game of Basketball has granted him the privilege of meeting so many great people.
Sure! Barkley has had his indiscretions, but like the Holy Man once said,
“…he who’s without sin…”.
Other than age and quiet a few pounds, the Charles Barkley that you see and hear on Television talking nowadays, is the same Charles Barkley that played in the NBA for 16 seasons and painted Barcelona red in 1992.
He swore once that when he was selected for induction into the Hall of Fame, he wanted to go in wearing a Philadelphia 76ers’ uniform because, as he put it,
“…they took a chance and drafted that fat kid from Auburn University.”
Barkley said once-also-that he may go into politics someday and help the people in his native Alabama.
That’s Charles for you. The man had fun playing the game and is having fun now talking about the game.
Barkley has always been a Rescue Ranger Type Guy!
Charles was not going to let a bunch of Alpha Males slow his groove, more than twenty years ago, and most definitely he is not going to let any now.
The man is no stick in the mud!
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