National Basketball Association

Charles Barkley: I once played drunk after trade to Lakers fell apart

Published Feb. 17, 2015 1:55 p.m. ET

foxsports

Charles Barkley once thought he was going to be a Los Angeles Laker, and that was cause for premature celebration.

In 1992, the Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers apparently had a deal ready to go, and it looked like Barkley was all but headed to Tinseltown. Knowing that, Barkley decided to celebrate with some cocktails. Here’s the problem, though: The trade ended up falling through. Even worse, Barkley had to play for the Sixers that same night — after a boozy lunch.

“It was going crazy for two weeks so I knew it would come down to Portland, (the) Lakers or Phoenix,” Barkley recalled in a conversation with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch. “So I get a call from my agent one morning and he said, ‘Philly has traded you to the Lakers.’ So I went to lunch and started drinking. I’m (expletive) so excited that I am going to the Lakers.”

Shortly thereafter, the bad news was delivered.

“Three hours later, I get a (expletive) phone call from my agent saying that the Sixers backed out of the deal,” Barkley said. “I said, ‘Oh, (expletive), I’m feeling pretty good right now.’ So I went out and played that night.”

There’s a Philadelphia Inquirer article from Jan. 12, 1992 titled “Barkley To Lakers: The Trade That Wasn’t” that seems to detail the near trade. So it’s probably safe to assume the game in question was Jan. 11 of the 1991-92 season. Barkley still had a pretty good game that night, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a loss to Cleveland.

Sir Charles finally got his trade wish during the ensuing offseason, only it wasn't to the Lakers. Instead, the perennial All-Star was sent to the Phoenix Suns that June for a meager package of Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang. That next season, Barkley led his new team to his only NBA Finals appearance, where Phoenix lost in six games to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

Stephen A. Smith reacts to Barkley-Smith debate of Ferguson (Audio)

Magic Johnson: Kobe should retire if Lakers can't land top talent