Sir Charles sure talks like a role model

0 Comments | Philadelphia Daily News, September, 2006 | by John Smallwood

Some might find it ironic that Charles Barkley, a man who famously proclaimed that he was not a role model, devoted much of his induction speech into the Basketball Hall of Fame acknowledging people who inspired him. But nothing that Barkley said contradicted his stance. In fact, it added more credence to the much-debated 1993 Nike commercial in which he uttered, "I am not a role model." Yes, Barkley thanked such NBA greats as Julius Erving and Moses Malone, but he also thanked a lot of other people - like his mother and grandmother, some high-school teachers, his coaches at Auburn University.

"There are so many people who helped me get to this position today," said Barkley, enshrined last night along with former NBA players Joe Dumars and Dominque Wilkins, Connecticut...