In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Auburn legend Charles Barkley touched on his rise in popularity after his NBA Hall of Fame career.
According to Barkley, people know that when he speaks, he doesn't "have a hidden agenda," which he explained was not something many people on TV can have said about them.
"I think they know that I'm going to be honest. I'm going to be fair. I don't have a hidden agenda," Barkley outlined. "Not many people on TV that you can say that about."
CBS's Jon Wertheim asked Barkley about the fun he has while hosting TNT's "Inside the NBA."
"It's just basketball," Barkley replied. "We're not solving inflation. We didn't just get back from Afghanistan."
The former basketball star took "60 Minutes" back to his home in Leeds and reflected on his "poor" upbringing and experiences that drove him to success. He cited his father not being there for him, his Spanish teacher for failing him in high school and classmates who made fun of him growing up for his work ethic.
"I was playing to stick it to my dad, Miss Gomez and some of the kids who had made fun of me instead of just wanting to be great at basketball," he explained.
Barkley, who recently turned 60, went on to acknowledge that he was on "the back nine" of life. He added that recently becoming a grandfather "is by far and away the greatest thing that's ever happened to me in my life."
"It lives up to the hype," he declared. "I want to spend time with him because I'm not morbid. I'm not upset. I'm on the back nine. I hope I'm on hole 10 or 11, but you never know. I could be on 17 and 18. So I want to spend as much time with him as possible. And then when he gets older, I want him to Google me."
"I hope he does some research on me. I'll be long gone, but I would like him to know that I accomplished some things in my life," Barkley concluded.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email trent.baker@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.