NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said he would have been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers had not the Philadelphia 76ers backed out from the deal, the TNT analyst revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Barkley said he vividly remembered the moment when he was told by his agent about the trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for James Worthy and Elden Campbell.
Barkley was considered the best power forward game then, averaging 23.1 points and 11.1 rebounds during the 1991-1992 season. However, the Philadelphia 76ers had been struggling at that point and his monster stats weren't enough to bring the Sixers back to its glory days. Out of frustrations, he demanded to be traded out of Philadelphia for a chance to win a championship elsewhere.
Barkley said he was aware that there were three teams (the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers) trying to acquire him via trade. Among the three, Barkley said he's most excited in playing for the Lakers, who indeed managed to land him but only for three hours.
"The Sixers backed out," said Barkley. "It was going crazy for two weeks so I knew it would come down to Portland, [the] Lakers or Phoenix. So I get a call from my agent one morning and he said, "Philly has traded you to the Lakers." So I went to lunch and started drinking. I'm f---ing so excited that I am going to the Lakers.
"Three hours later I get a f---ing phone call from my agent saying that the Sixers backed out of the deal. I said, "Oh, s--t, I'm feeling pretty good right now." So I went out and played that night."
The Sixers eventually trade Barkley to the Suns in exchange for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry. The next season, he went on to put up an MVP season and carry the Suns all the way to the finals, only to lose to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.
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