“That’s My Girl”: Charles Barkley Surprises With His WNBA Knowledge Days After Struggling to Name NBA Players’ Teams
· Yahoo Sports
Charles Barkley has spent years turning his inability to identify NBA players’ teams into one of basketball television’s funniest traditions. His latest attempt last week was no different, with the Hall of Famer struggling through another round of Inside the NBA’s famous guessing game. But six days later, Barkley surprised everyone by showing considerably better knowledge of WNBA rosters to the extent that he even recognized one player through their shared connection to Auburn University.
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“To take a page out of your show’s book, we are gonna play a game. And that game is Who’d She Play For?” former WNBA player Candace Parker said, surprising Chuck with the Inside Guys-inspired segment on Wednesday’s episode of her “Post Moves” podcast on YouTube.
“Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord,” he exclaimed, recognizing danger ahead. Surprisingly, he did a better job than most would expect out of him.
He went 4 of 6!
Barkley’s first challenge was Kelsey Plum, whom he correctly identified as a Phoenix Mercury player. Then came DeWanna Bonner, and Barkley didn’t even flinch.
“Oh, the Dream. That’s my girl. You know she went to Auburn, right?” Barkley said.
Parker acknowledged the connection, reminding him that Bonner played during her own WNBA career. Barkley’s excitement was understandable. Bonner played college basketball at Auburn from 2005 to 2009, becoming one of the program’s most accomplished players.
Barkley, another celebrated Auburn alumnus, has maintained strong ties to the university throughout his career.
The next question, however, proved trickier.
Parker showed him Rickea Jackson and offered a hint about her previous stint in Los Angeles and her subsequent free-agency move. Barkley guessed Seattle, but the answer was Chicago Sky.
Still, he was doing better than usual.
Parker pointed that out herself, telling him, “You’re two and one. Better than any game you played on the NBA side.”
Then, Chuck recovered immediately when Chelsea Gray appeared, correctly identifying Las Vegas. However, Kate Martin presented another challenge. Parker explained that Martin had moved between three teams during the season, prompting Barkley to say, “And you think that’s fair?”
He eventually guessed the Toronto Tempo. Parker corrected him, identifying Chicago as Martin’s team and explaining that she had arrived later in the season.
That left WNBA star Veronica Burton as the final question. Barkley confidently answered Golden State Valkyries, securing hisfourth correct guess in six attempts.
“I know you think I’m just a pretty face, but I’m not,” Chuck joked after what was arguably his best performance in the game.
The performance was particularly amusing considering what happened on Inside the NBA last week. Barkley went 0-for-5 during the opening round of “Who He Play For?”, the recurring segment in which Ernie Johnson challenges him to identify the current teams of NBA players.
The hilarious part was that the team gave him two more chances to guess the teams of the same five players, and he still couldn’t get it right. Despite repeated attempts, Barkley struggled to improve his score, eventually managing three correct answers. He had an explanation ready when Parker brought up the embarrassing performance.
“We had only played two games, so I haven’t had a chance to see all these teams play,” Barkley reasoned with Parker days after the blunder.
There is some context behind that defense.
The NBA season had only recently begun, meaning several offseason roster changes had yet to become familiar through regular-season broadcasts. The WNBA, meanwhile, had already completed its season, giving Barkley more opportunities to follow the league’s players and their respective teams.
His Auburn connection also helped with Bonner, while established stars such as Plum and Gray were easier to recognize than players who had recently changed teams.
For once, the former NBA MVP had something to celebrate after facing the familiar guessing game. Whether that success carries over to the next Inside the NBA challenge remains another question.
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