This was a player who in interviews could be profane, annoyed, outrageous and hilarious, sometimes all in the same response to a question. This was a player who collected rebounds and technical fouls. On the air, announcers were advised to curb their commentary and watch their mouths.īut that’s precisely why Dick Ebersol was drawn to Charles Barkley, the gregarious and future Hall of Fame power forward. Searing criticism of players and coaches was best left to the newspapers. This was especially true in sports broadcasting before “hot takes” began seeping into studio shows. Network television historically sheltered itself from the performer who walked the tightrope and too often fell over into the pit of controversy. Thus, there was a degree of danger involved here. As a broadcaster now and as an NBA player before that, Charles Barkley has the ability to captivate audiences.ĪTLANTA - The man who supercharged the rise of a young comedian named Eddie Murphy, provided a national platform for a broadcaster named Bob Costas, and gave scores of other undeveloped talents their shot at stardom was suddenly fixated on a basketball player who was untrained and certifiably uncensored.
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