Chapter 4 Sparring Partner

"During downtime in training, I was usually Bob Knight's stooge, the target of his biting jokes, which reporters lapped up like thirsty dogs. One day he said, 'Getting Charles down to 215 pounds is like sending Raquel Welch (a famous sex symbol from the 60s) for plastic surgery.'"

Someone told me this, thinking I'd blow up, but I just laughed it off. I thought it was a witty remark and saw no reason to get mad over something like that.

But then Knight made a comment that did tick me off. He said, 'Gan's rebounding is much better than yours', which I couldn't stand because I've always taken great pride in my rebounding abilities.

After that, I started to compete with Gan, determined to out-rebound him. Sadly, this ambition hasn't been realized up to now, but I still refuse to concede."

————Excerpt from Charles Barkley's autobiography "Outrageous!" published in 1992.