Honoring Charles Barkley on the occasion of his retirement from the National Basketball Association.

WHEREAS, Charles Barkley was fifth player selected by Philadelphia int he 1984 NBA draft, which included such standouts as Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton; and

WHEREAS, The charismatic Charles Barkley made immediate impact as a Sixer and became a fan favorite as a result of his formidable skills and work ethic; and

WHEREAS, Although listed as 6'6", Charles could rebound with the elite of th NBA and scored 14,184 points during his eight year career as a Sixer; and

WHEREAS, After averaging 14 points per game as a rookie, Charles would lead the Sixers over the next 7 seasons with a 24.7 points per game average. He also averaged 12 rebounds and 4 assists per game during this time; and

WHEREAS, Charles averaged a career high 28.3 points per game during the 1987-88 season when he established himself as one of the top players in professional basketball; and

WHEREAS, After 8 stellar seasons as a Sixer, Charles next suited up with the Phoenix Suns where he won the Most Valuable Player Award in the 1992-93 season; and

WHEREAS, Charles spent 4 extremely productive seasons with the Suns as he continued to average well over 20 points per game. In fact, he averaged at least 20 points a game for 11 consecutive years during his 16-year career; and

WHEREAS, Charles Barkley recently announced his retirement as a member of the Houston Rockets where he spent the last 4 years of his professional basketball career; and

WHEREAS, Unfortunately, on December 8, 1999, Charles ruptured a knee tendon during a game at the First Union center against the Sixers and everyone thought that his career was over but he did come back to play one last time on April 19, 2000. Charles had decided that he wanted to walk away - rather than be carried away - in his last game. He received several standing ovations from the Houston crowd; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we honor Charles Barkley on the occasion of his retirement from the National Basketball Association.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Charles Barkley as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

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