The draft class that changed Basketball: 1984

3. Charles Barkley; 5th Overall Pick; 1984-2000; Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets

Career Averages: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG

Barkley was a perennial All-Star and won MVP Honours in 1993. He was an extremely physical player which earned him the nicknames “Sir Charles” and “The Round Mound of Rebound”. He was an explosive scorer and was instrumental in helping the 1992 and 1996 Dream teams achieve a perfect 16-0 record at the Olympics. When he retired, he was one of 4 players in history to have recorded 20000 points, 10000 rebounds and 4000 assists in their career.

Throughout his career, he was known as one of the most controversial, outspoken, dominating and humorous players both on and off the court. He got a number of national level controversies due to his confrontational behaviour. Despite all this, he remained extremly popular with the fans due to his humour and honesty.

In recognition of his numerous contributions on and off the court, his no. 34 jersey was retired by the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and the Auburn University. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

He’s currently an analyst on the television program Inside the NBA.