When Charles Barkley was defiant about his gambling addiction: “I didn’t kill myself when I lost two and a half million dollars”

Charles Barkley made it extremely clear during his career that he was not a role model. In a commercial for Nike, Barkley controversially declared the fact. He placed the burden of raising kids and being a role model on parents rather than athletes, which created quite a buzz. Naturally, some applauded him while others criticized him.

Last year, Barkley went as far as to say that the commercial was one of the best things he's ever done. With no fear of rocking the boat, Barkley has always spoken his mind and given fans an uncut look at him as a person, not just a Hall of Famer.

Back in 2007, Barkley made headlines when he revealed the extent of his gambling habits. According to the former MVP and eleven-time All-Star, he's seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows when it comes to betting.

When Phoenix TV caught up with him early in '07, Barkley was in the midst of a binge that saw him admittedly play "a lot" of blackjack. At the time, he estimated that he had won about $700,000 that weekend between time spent at the table and a massive bet he placed on the Indianapolis Colts. When Peyton Manning led the team to victory in Super Bowl XLI, Barkley's ticket cashed in.

Here's what Charles Barkley said when discussing his gambling:

"It's a stupid, bad habit. I have a problem. But the problem is when you can't afford it. I can afford to gamble. I didn't kill myself when I lost two and a half million dollars. I like to gamble and I'm not going to quit."

You can see another clip of him discussing his gambling habits in the video above.

Charles Barkley - not a role model

As Charles Barkley has always maintained, those who watch him on TV shouldn't look at him as a sort of role model, and he's repeatedly shown why. As LeBron James explained back in 2017, when Barkley called him 'whiny,' he wasn't about to let the comment go unchecked.

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LeBron took aim at Charles Barkley, referencing some of the infamous things the Hall of Famer has done during his time in the spotlight.

"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that. I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying."

Surprisingly, Barkley took to Inside the NBA to react to James' comments, revealing that he had no problem whatsoever with what James said. As he pointed out, he's done some terribly stupid things in his life, and he accepts that. Although he could have taken the opportunity to attempt a clap-back at James, he took the high road in the matter.

You can see Charles Barkley's comments in the video below beginning around the 2:40 mark.

(Suggested Reading: When Shaq didn't understand the California Tax code and spent $9 million of his $10.9 million salary).