NBA: Hall Of Famer Reveals How Former Sixer Influenced Him To Greatness

Retired NBA star Charles Barkley had a stellar career and the Round Mound admits that there were people who influenced them. One of them is the late Moses Malone. Both played for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1982 to 1986.

Barkley was recently feted by the Sixers when a statue of him was put up in his honor. In a tweet by NBA on TNT, the 1993 NBA MVP felt that the statue was too skinny for him although that opened up memories on his end. It turns out that during his rookie year, Malone told him that he was too fat and lazy. The 1983 NBA MVP eventually helped him get in shape, losing 50 pounds in a report by The Athletic.

Barkley entered the NBA in the company of eventual Hall of Famers. That included Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. Despite weight issues, the 11-time NBA All-Star found a way to stand his ground and establish himself as a legit NBA star.

The help from Malone appears to be the reason in Barkley's rise among the ranks. His numbers rose on his sophomore season, particularly in shot attempts and rebounding. Despite standing only 6-foot-6, Barkley managed to mold himself into a reliable double-double machine. He holds career averages of 22.1 points per game and 11.7 rebounds in 36.7 minutes of action.

Barkley retired in 2000 and last played for the Houston Rockets. Before the 1999-00 NBA season started, he had already announced that it would be his final year. One highlight of that season was when he ruptured his left quadriceps in Philadelphia. He refused to be remembered as a player who would walk off injured, returning four months later. He would play his last game against the Vancouver Grizzlies.

"I can't explain what tonight meant. I did it for me. I've won and lost a lot of games, but the last memory I had was being carried off the court. I couldn't get over the mental block of being carried off the court. It was important psychologically to walk off the court on my own," he said in a report from Sports Illustrated.