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

Charles Barkley said he was not a trash talker because he was thinking so much while the game was going on that he didn't have time to yap at his opponents. During his appearance on Shannon Sharpe 's " Club Shay Shay " podcast, "Sir Charles" mentioned how his height also affected his ability to talk smack.

"Not much. Not much because I had too much going on in my brain. When you're 6'5" playing against a 6'9", 6'10", or6'11" guy, I have to have a strategy. I think somebody said something to me one time; they went and looked at the numbers. I'm the only person in the history of sports who never played against anybody who was shorter than them. I played center in college, so in the NBA, I'm always going to be the shortest guy," Barkley said.

Zoned-in Chuckster

Barkley was considered undersized for his position. That's why he had to rely on his skills, speed, and footwork to outduel his opponents.

Chuck was often at a disadvantage when facing some of the game's most physically dominant players. That's why, instead of trying to win the verbal wars on the court, he focused more on analyzing the scouting report against his competitors.

"So I had so much going on in my brain like I'd say, 'Okay, they're bringing this guy in, and he does this well, he does this, he plays me this way same with the other guy,' so I had so much going on in my brain," the legendary forward added.

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Barkley has had his moments

The 11-time All-Star may not have had the reputation as a big-time trash talker, but when he did talk smack, it was apparently very funny. According to one of his nemesis, Michael Jordan, Barkley was the funniest trash talker he'd ever play against because he'd say the most random things.

"If you've had success over him, you can throw it right back. You can call him a great second-place finisher," MJ told Playboy Magazine .

Today, Barkley is often seen trash-talking on TV as an NBA analyst for TNT's "Inside the NBA." He's considered one of the funniest personalities in sports media because of his nonchalant and impulsive delivery of his message. Ironically, the Hall of Famer is one of—if not the biggest—trash-talkers toward this generation's players.

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