“If I’d known you guys were going to make fun of me, I would have joined a superteam” - Charles Barkley once named the stars he would make a superteam with

Not only was he the best scorer on the 1992 Dream Team, but Charles Barkley's legacy could be better understood by him being one of the only players to outperform Michael Jordan to win the MVP award in the '90s. However, his failure to secure a championship ring during his 16-year NBA career often diminishes the same legacy.

When discussing the matter, the 6'5" forward once confidently asserted that had he known fans would judge his entire legacy based on this criterion, he would have joined a super team. Interestingly, this statement seems ironic coming from a player who started his career playing alongside Moses Malone and ended it beside Hakeem Olajuwon.

Barkley's wild superteam take

During a conference call for the American Century Championship Golf Tournament, the Chuckster emphatically expressed his disdain for superteams, arguing that they impede the growth of franchises, particularly those in smaller markets.

Paradoxically, the 11-time All-Star conceded that he would have considered joining a superteam had he anticipated the importance of having a title against one's name in deriving their overall legacy.

"If I'd known you guys were going to make fun of me for not winning a championship, I would have joined a superteam back in my day - me and Patrick and Karl Malone and John Stockton," The Chuckster said . "But I feel good about my legacy. I'm pretty sure Patrick and John and Karl do, too."

Did Barkley never join a superteam?

While The Round Mound of Rebound may disregard the notion that he was ever part of a 'superteam', examining his career trajectory reveals a different narrative. He entered the league joining the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984-85 season - a team boasting experienced stars like Moses Malone and Julius Erving.

Yet, in his eight years in Philly, the franchise never progressed beyond the conference finals, achieving that feat only once. Then, upon joining the Phoenix Suns in 1992, he found himself on a team with seven players averaging double-digit points. Despite leading them to the NBA Finals in his inaugural season, such a heroic feat was never replicated.

Sir Charles joined Hakeem and Clyde Drexler's Houston Rockets in his last big to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. However, in his four-year stint with the franchise, he reached the conference finals merely once.

Thus, it is evident that despite having All-Star-caliber players or even superstar teammates throughout his career, Barkley was simply unable to win a championship.

Related: Charles Barkley explained why he was never a trash talker in his career: "I had too much going on in my brain"