During the CBS March Madness studio show featuring Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Charles Barkley, the conversation drifted to team managers, which prompted Barkley to issue a thank you to the managers of every team across the country for keeping important things like uniforms organized. Because, claims Chuck, back in his early days in the NBA, he was in charge of washing his own uniform and had quite a unique ritual for cleaning his clothes.
“I’m so old, we used to take a shower in our uniforms,” said Barkley on the pregame show for the Pittsburgh vs. Iowa State game.
“Time out,” quipped Kenny Smith, ready to pepper Barkley with questions about this wild claim. “You’re making this up. There’s no way that you were supposed to wash your uniform with it on.”
Chuck started to try and explain himself but Kenny kept interrupting him saying there was no way that actually happened. Eventually, Clark Kellogg barked “let him finish, Kenny!” so he could hear what Barkley had to say. Which led into this backstory from Chuck:
Barkley explains why he showered with uniform on
“When I first got to the NBA, we flew commercial. So when you played the night before and flew the next morning, when is you exactly gonna 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 airline the next day.”
Kellogg and Smith pleaded with Barkley that there were other alternatives for cleaning his jersey than showering with it on. However, he responded: “But it’s easier to do it that way.”
That sent Smith and Kellogg into delirium as The Jet stood up out of his chair to cackle while Kellogg cried out “ahhhhhhhhhh” as he spun around in his chair laughing as well. Kellogg then yelled, “Are you kidding me?” at Charles, who simply reiterated, “it is easier to do it that way.”
Charles Barkley really being a man of efficiency by just washing his jersey when he washed his body. Rather than bother with a laundromat or finding a washing machine in his hotel, Barkley would just shower with it on. Who needs laundry detergent when you can just scrub out your uniform with shampoo and a bar of soap? Not Chuck!
Just another bizarre story from the former NBA star.
