Charles Barkley used to be one of the great stars of the NBA, although of course, having been a contemporary of Michael Jordan , he never reached such a level of fame and popularity at the international level compared to the figure of the Chicago Bulls. Despite this, the former forward forged a great career in the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets that allowed him to be chosen MVP in 1993, be included in the Hall of Fame after his retirement and amass a fortune that is estimated to be greater than the USD 50 million today .
His remarkable career has allowed his family to live a life full of luxuries and without necessities, which seems to bother Barkley himself at some point, who this week surprised with some statements about his future. It is that during a dialogue with the golfer Phil Mickelson, he referred to his fondness for betting and maintained that he has no problem losing part of his savings due to bad predictions.
“Look, everyone knows that I like to bet on everything. I want to be broke when I die, Phil. I don't want to leave all my money and no burdens to my family. I've been taking care of them all my life. I want to be broke with my last breath , ”said the former NBA to everyone's surprise. Even Mickelson himself clarified that this phrase could be a joke and changed the subject of the conversation, but at no time did Barkley admit that he was joking.
Apparently, the 58-year-old former player who works as an analyst in Inside the NBA, intends that after his death his children and relatives learn to live without depending on the millions that he has generated in his career from him . Something similar to what he said a few months ago Shaquille O'Neal, his partner in the television program that is broadcast by TNT in the United States.
“They are older now. They got mad at me. I'm not really upset, but they don't understand. I tell them all the time. We are not rich; I am rich” , declared the four-time NBA champion on stage during a live Earn your leisure podcast hosted by financial advisor Rashad Bilal and educator Troy Millings. "You must have a bachelor's or a master's degree and then, if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you will have to present it, bring it to me," added the former player who was chosen first in the 1992 Draft by the Orlando Magic, a franchise in which he served for four years.
Apparently there are several voices of former NBA figures who have this type of position with the aim that their heirs understand the importance of effort and sacrifice, although they seem too exaggerated. But this is not just limited to North American basketball.
Former Argentine soccer player Gabriel Batistuta He told in 2019 that his son Joaquín had a job in a photocopier: "That my children work is to give them dignity, especially to them." The former Serie A scorer had explained that with this he wanted his children to learn the importance of earning things with effort: “I could easily give them the car, but I don't know if they would feel happy, I don't know how long that happiness would last. Because, when they get in the car and go through the center, and the girls look at them, inside they know that the car is not theirs. Because they know it belongs to the old man. I understand that he has another flavor when he drives in a less beautiful car, but he says: 'I earned it on my own'” .
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