Charles Barkley's hilarious reaction to Beal’s new contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Charles Barkley played 16 seasons in the NBA, was named MVP, made 11 All-Star teams, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest power forwards of all time. During that span, ‘Chuck’ made a total of just over $40 million dollars in career salary, per Spotrac.
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal is set to eclipse that mark each year for the next five years after signing a $251 million contract to stay in D.C.
When asked what his reaction was to Beal’s new deal, Barkley responded with one word.
“Wow,” Barkley said on a recent episode of the Washington Football Talk Podcast. “Let me tell you something. My mom—I love my mom, she passed away a few years ago. Every time I see one of those contracts, I want to drive to the graveyard and just snatch her up and say, ‘Why couldn’t you just wait a couple more years to have me?! Just a couple more years!”
Beal’s contract is one of the biggest in NBA history. It’ll keep the Wizards’ best player and most efficient playmaker on the squad for the foreseeable future, barring a trade.
Beal certainly earned his deal, too. He’s just one year removed from being the second-leading scorer in the NBA behind only Steph Curry during the 2020-21 season, and is primed to hopefully bring Washington to just their second playoff appearance in the last five seasons.
Since his playing days, Barkley has become one of the NBA media’s most popular analysts on TNT’s Inside the NBA alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. He harbors no resentment towards players in today’s game who get their money while they can.
“You know what? Bless these young guys,” he said. “Bradley Beal’s a hell of a player. I don’t ever want to be the old ‘Get off my lawn’ guy. I made more money than Bill Russell, he’s a much better player than me. I made more money than Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], he’s a much, much better player than me. Hey, God bless them. It’s good work if you can get it.”
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Now that the money’s secured, the pressure is on Beal to make good on his new deal. He’s a got a solid supporting cast in D.C. with effective wings like Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura, not to mention a premier, if oft-injured center in Kristaps Porzingis.
The Wizards, too, have made moves to make Beal a bit more comfortable in the backcourt. They drafted Johnny Davis out of Wisconsin 10th overall to back Beal up, traded for Nuggets point guard Monte Morris and signed free agent PG Delon Wright. Beal remains Washington’s bell cow, so time will tell how well the unit gels.