WHEREAS, Charles Barkley was the fifth player selected by Philadelphia in the 1984 NBA draft, which included such standouts as Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton; and
WHEREAS, The charismatic Charles Barkley made an 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 the 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 seven 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 of 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 eight stellar seasons as a Sixer, Charles suited up with the Phoenix Suns where he won the Most Valuable Player Award in the 1992-93 season; and
WHEREAS, Charles spent four 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, In April 2000, Charles Barkley announced his retirement as a member of the Houston Rockets where he spent the last four years of his professional basketball career; and
WHEREAS, Charles was selected as an NBA All-Star on 11 occasions. He made 1st team all-NBA five times and was also selected to the 2nd team five times. Mr. Barkley was an Olympic Gold Medalist in 1992 and 1996. In 1992, he was a member of the “Dream Team,” arguably the best collection of basketball talent ever assembled; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, Charles Barkley was named as one of the greatest 50 players in the history of the National Basketball Association; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby honor Charles Barkley on the occasion of his election to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Charles Barkley as evidence of the sincere sentiments and recognition of this legislative body.
End