Charles Barkley solidified himself as one of the most outspoken players in the NBA, as the hall of famer had no problem sharing words with critics on the court or during a press conference. That no-holds-barred personality has since remained intact amid his broadcasting career (and was evident when he said wild things about Inside the NBA’s apparent cancellation). Despite his persona, Barkley is actually something of a softie, and those who need evidence of that should know the sweet reason he sometimes rushes home from TNT early.
Aside from being one of the most iconic athletes of all time, Sir Charles is also a proud family man. Someone who usually speaks fondly of is his daughter, Christiana, who he shares with his wife of over 30 years, Maureen. Christiana is also the mother of two children, Henry and Charlie (her grandfather’s namesake), whom she shares with husband Ilya Hoffman. The 61-year-old media personality is quite close with his two grandchildren, who call him “Big Pop,” and he explained that he and his grandson have established a cute routine:
We developed this little tradition where I take him out on my golf cart every day after school, and we just drive around for about 30 minutes, just asking about his day. [Henry’s] like, we’re going to do this every day, right? I say, ‘Well if you want to do it every day, not like I have a choice, I’m not going to tell you no.'
The former Philadelphia 76er explained on The Mark Jackson Show that these outings usually start with his daughter FaceTiming him and then putting Henry on the phone. During those conversations, Henry will eventually ask his grandfather to hurry home from work so that they can hang out. If that’s not a great reason for the sports legend to make his way back home as quickly as possible on a daily basis, then I don’t know what is. During his recent interview (which is on YouTube), the media pundit spoke more about being a grandparent:
But, man, being a grandpa, it’s just the most amazing, surreal thing in my life. Every time he says, ‘Big Pop, Big Pop, I love you,’ man, my heart just flutters. And, you know, I see the videos where the kids run to their grandparents. When they come to visit, he just runs to me and jumps in my lap, and I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness. This is a great…’
It’s interesting to think that earlier this year, it was looking like Charles Barkley was going to have even more free time to spend with his grandchildren and the rest of his family. Around May of this past year, it appeared that TNT’s Inside the NBA would be canceled due to the network’s agreement with the eponymous sports deal seemingly not being renewed. Weeks later, Barkley announced his intention to retire from broadcasting in 2025, whether a deal was struck or not. However, he eventually walked back the retirement talk in August, as he opted to stay with the network and save jobs in the process.
That situation improved in November, when TNT Sports struck a deal to license out Inside to ESPN. It was a historic agreement that’ll begin with the 2025-2026 NBA season and span 11 years. The Round Mound of Rebound was initially critical of his employers for not getting a deal done, but he eventually gave them kudos (in his own signature way). The ex-Phoenix Sun even joked during a recent episode of the sports talk show that it was time to start “kissing ass” again.
Given his work situation, it seems that Charles Barkley is going to have to balance his professional and personal lives for the foreseeable future. I’d imagine, however, that Barkley is still going to carve out time for his loving grandkids. After all, I’m not quite sure Henry is going to let Big Pop miss their after-school hangouts.
