Timothy Bella tells wild story about cab driver asking Auburn head coach about Charles Barkley: "You've got that fat kid, right?"

Timothy Bella, author of Charles Barkley's biography, revealed a wild story about a Houston cab driver asking Auburn's coach about the future NBA legend. Barkley was not the typical athlete in college due to the combination of his size and speed.

In an interview with KHOU 11's Jason Bristol and Matt Musil, Bella discussed the stories he heard while writing Barkley's biography. One story came from a taxi driver when coach Sonny Smith's Auburn visited Houston to face Hakeem Olajuwon and the Cougars in 1982.

"When Auburn actually came into town, there was just one cab driver who asked Sonny Smith and the other Auburn players, 'You've got that fat kid, right? Who jumps high?'" Bella said. "They're like, 'Who? Charles?'"

Bella added the story of Barkley facing off against Olajuwon before they became NBA stars:

"In that first game, Olajuwon actually blocked his shot going down the court. Just coming back down, Charles actually dunked on Hakeem back then. There were fans like, 'Oh my God! We've never seen that before.' Even back then, he left a real mark on Houston."

Charles Barkley was an undersized power forward, and there were issues with his weight at Auburn. He had trouble maintaining his weight, but that didn't prevent him from dominating the game. He averaged 14.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks in three collegiate seasons.

Barkley was the fifth pick in the famed 1984 draft, two selections after the great Michael Jordan. He went on to become one of the greatest players in NBA history. He never won a championship but left an indelible mark in the game.

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Charles Barkley opened up about not winning a ring in his biography

Charles Barkley at The Match: Champions For Charity

The Washington Post's Timothy Bella released "Barkley: A Biography" early last month. Bella took the time to share via HoopsHype an excerpt from the book that told the life and career of Charles Barkley.

One of the main talking points of Barkley's NBA career is his failure to win a championship. He went to the NBA Finals once, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games in 1993.

Despite not winning a ring, Barkley feels pretty happy with his life.

"I don't think a championship would do that much for me," Barkley said. "It won't make me feel like, well, now my life is complete. Trust me, my life is pretty damn complete. I always tell people. I don't think that anybody could have had a better life than me. I really don't."

Barkley had a great basketball career but also had a really successful post-playing career as an analyst for TNT. He recently signed a massive extension with the network worth around $100 million, which was more than what he earned as a player.