The Round Mound of Rebound is always delivering on TV.
Two years ago, Charles Barkley once again delivered an iconic television moment during the coverage of the NCAA tournament.
Barkley wanted to give credit to the student managers and trainers behind the scenes who did all the dirty work for the team.
Barkley, who played at Auburn from 1981 to 1984 played in the iconic March Madness event and knows how hectic it can be, with not a lot of time between games, but likened his experience back in the day to a starting revelation.
A revelation that his co-host, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith couldn’t believe.
“Shout-out to all the trainers, and the guys who do all the uniforms,” Barkley said.
“To get these uniforms cleaned up and everything – I’m so old, we used to take a shower in our uniforms.”
Showering in your uniforms? Smith couldn’t believe it.
“Time out,” Smith said.
“There’s no era where you did this. You’re making this up.
“There’s no way that you were supposed to wash your uniform. You’re making this up. No one in their right mind has ever done that.”
Barkley was adamant that it was true.
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“When I first got to the NBA, we flew commercial,” Barkley said.
“So when you played the night before, and flew the next morning, when was you exactly going to get your uniform clean?
“You had to wash your uniform yourself.
“So, after the game, when you got to your room, you took a shower in your uniform and dried it and dropped it on the commercial plane the next day.”
Another member on the desk, Clark Kellogg, wasn’t buying what Barkley was selling.
“You can clean your uniform without showering in it,” Kellogg said.
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“You don’t need to have it on,” Smith added.
“Efficiency of life,” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky replied.
“So weird haha,” posted one fan.
“Charles Barkley is an American treasure,” said a second.
“I don’t think in all my years of watching March Madness I’ve ever seen Kellogg laugh so hard,” a third commented.
“This video should come with a warning, holy s*** I laughed way too hard,” a fourth added.
The back and forth provided a rare and iconic March Madness moment that happened off the court.
But that’s the magic of Barkley.
And it’s why he has had the television and broadcasting success over the course of the 21st century.
There’s only one Barkley.
Give him a microphone and let him rip.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
