"She sold alcohol": Charles Barkley discloses the hardship his grandmother faced in Alabama during 60 minutes interview

Charles Barkley had an illustrious NBA career and has gone down in history as one of the best to ever play the game of basketball.

However, his life wasn't always easy and had to go through a lot to succeed in his life. Barkley grew up in Leeds, Alabama, and experienced a difficult childhood as his father, Frank Barkley, left the family after divorcing Barkley’s mother, Charcey Glenn.

His mother remarried, which provided some stability in his upbringing, but his stepfather died in an accident when he was 11. Hence, his mother and grandmother were the ones who raised him.

Charles Barkley revealed that he hated his father for a long time, as he was never really present. He moved to California, as far away as he could from Alabama. During the "60 minutes" interview, Charles Barkley spoke about how tough it was for him as a kid and what sacrifices his grandmother made to raise him:

"We were really poor. To make ends meet, she sold alcohol. In the house. People would come over Friday and Saturday to play cards and by the time they start drinking, one would lose their mind, there is gonna be fight. I thought that was normal stuff.

"We had to pool our money. So I got one pair of shoes [a season]. My mom brought them to the game, and right after the game, she knocked on the door and took them home. I could only wear them during the season because they had to last me."

Charles Barkley always expected his father to send cheques and help the family financially, even though he had abandoned them. This never happened, though, and the Hall of Famer had to depend exclusively on his mother and grandma for support:

“I remember my grandmother bringing those chicken feet home. Once they were two or three weeks old because she had to eat like a hundred chicken feet to get like one good solid meal out of it.”

Charles Barkley never forgets his roots

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Despite his illustrious career, the countless accolades and the amount of money he earned, Barkley never forgot his roots. He is now a philanthropist and has donated millions of dollars in support of higher education and college scholarships for Leeds students.

"The way I give money away is, I want to try to help people be successful," Barkley said. "Now everybody's not going to be successful. All I can give them is an opportunity to be successful."

Throughout his career, Barkley’s talent and achievements made him one of the best players in the NBA. He earned numerous accolades, including multiple NBA All-Star selections, All-NBA Team honors and the prestigious NBA MVP award in 1993. He also won two gold medals with Team USA in the 1990s.

He is also recognized as one of the greatest players in NBA history and was also named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th-anniversary teams.

After retiring from basketball, Barkley became a well-known television analyst for TNT and CBS Sports and his broadcasting career has earned him four Emmys so far.