Review by Booklist Review
Charles Barkley has enjoyed tremendous success over two careers--basketball player and media personality--but neither seemed at all likely in the beginning. As Washington Post writer Bella details in this thoroughly engaging biography, Barkley was a short, fat kid from Leeds, Alabama, with an inordinate fondness for hamburgers. But he wanted to play basketball, and thanks to his innate athletic ability, he did just that, first in high school, then at Auburn, and finally as an All-Star in the NBA. A growth spurt shot him up to more than six feet in high school, but he was always undersized, first for a college center and then for an NBA power forward, who would become known as the "Round Mound of Rebound." What he did have, though, was strength, determination, and phenomenal jumping ability. Similarly, he seemed the most unlikely of TV commentators. His unfailing ability to offend one and all should have doomed him to a short run on the air, but somehow he has parlayed that unbuttoned personality, combined with off-the-charts charisma and deep compassion for the less fortunate, into a kind of sui generis stardom. Though Barkley always played the bridesmaid to his rival Michael Jordan on the basketball court, he did best MJ in one category: he has hosted SNL more than any other athlete. This is no ordinary sports bio, just as Barkley is no ordinary athlete.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bella, a Washington Post staff writer and editor, debuts with an brawny look at basketball star Charles Barkley, who "helped change not just how fans watched the game but also how they talked about it." Barkley was raised by his mother and grandmother in 1960s Leeds, Ala., and as a student athlete at Auburn University, he elevated the basketball team to national prominence. In 1984, he was drafted by the Sixers and earned the moniker "Sir Charles," upstaging veteran teammates like Julius "Dr. J" Erving. In 1992, he was traded to the Suns and in his first season there, led the team to the 1993 NBA Finals. Though the Suns lost to the Chicago Bulls in an explosive six-game series, Barkley met his match in Michael Jordan, who became a rival and friend. In 1996, the Suns traded Barkley to the Rockets, where the All-Star forward's dreams of winning an NBA championship were dashed. Barkley's flamboyant personality attracted fans, but at the same time, his anger issues sometimes led to altercations with opponents and spectators. Though Bella didn't interview Barkley, he judiciously assembles a wealth of material, including 372 interviews with Barkley's childhood friends, coaches, teammates, and even cops who've arrested him. This is a must-read for basketball devotees, but even casual sports fans will be fascinated. Agent: William Callahan, InkWell Management. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Whether dominating the boards as a member of the '92 Dream Team or devising impromptu shenanigans with Shaquille O'Neal on Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley has always seemed larger than life, so it's perhaps fitting that Washington Post reporter Bella's biography of the basketball player clocks in at over 500 pages. Barkley's instincts and raw talent made him one of the best basketball players of all time, just as his willingness to speak his mind made him one of the most compelling (and controversial) sports figures. While Bella was not able to speak with Barkley himself for the book, the stories from the hundreds of people Bella did interview paint a riveting and nuanced picture of Sir Charles, flaws and all. From Barkley yelling through a mouth full of pizza at teammates to work harder; to throngs of adoring fans showering him in adulation, even as his teams came up short against others; to the deeply insensitive remarks and belligerent treatment of fans that made him a figure as reviled as he was beloved, Bella's book has it all. VERDICT This book will take its place as the definitive account of Barkley's life so far. Essential reading for all basketball fans.--Colin Chappell
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sir Charles Barkley, one of the great knights-errant of the court (basketball, that is), receives a full-scale biography. Born in 1963, Barkley once complained to a reporter that he'd been misquoted in his own autobiography--and then, elsewhere, reportedly confessed that he hadn't yet read it. Washington Post writer and editor Bella does a good job of assembling the provable facts about the man known as "The Round Mound of Rebounds." Whether on or off the court, he has always been a larger-than-life presence. "At the height of his career, he was treated more like a rock star than a basketball player," writes the author, who adds that Barkley has hosted Saturday Night Live more times than any other athlete. Early on, Bella asks a pointed, relevant question: "Is he the greatest player to never win a ring?" Bella lays out the affirmative case well, starting out with an anecdote that finds Barkley, in young childhood, flinging himself off a building in the belief that he could fly. He couldn't, of course, but he could do just about everything else physical, including taking a leading role on the 1992 Olympic dream team, "considered by many as the most dominant assembly of basketball talent ever," and passing a vertical test in college by jumping straight up onto a 42-inch wooden box, leading Clyde Drexler to remark, "He's the best fat guy around." After playing at Auburn, the always mouthy, always entertaining Barkley played in the NBA for Philadelphia, racking up the NBA's highest rebound numbers, and then for Phoenix, where he was voted MVP in 1993. Still, despite outplaying nearly all of his peers, he was never able to win an NBA championship. Bella also covers Barkley's career as a respected sports commentator--when reminded that he is now part of the media he used to complain about, he notes, "Yeah…but at least I'm gonna be honest." A pleasure for fans of the hard-charging legend. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
