Back In The Day NBA

Charles Barkley Grew A Detroit Pistons Fan Base After Punching Bill Laimbeer In 1990

Shandel Richardson

Feb 28, 1996: Minneapolis, MN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley (34) in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images
Feb 28, 1996: Minneapolis, MN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley (34) in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images
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NBA great Charles Barkley has always had a way with words.

Nothing showed that more than a candid postgame interview after a 121-119 road victory against the Detroit Pistons Jan. 25, 1993. While Barkley was answering questions, the announcers noticed a contingent of Pistons fans holding up signs championing him for MVP. Barkley finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

That's when commentator Doug Collins asked, "Charles, you don't have fans in Detroit?" Barkley then explained.

"These are Detroit fans and every since I punched Bill Laimbeer, they've been happy," Barkley said.

Charles Barkley on punching Bill Laimbeer. 😅

Posted by Open Court on Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Barkley and Laimbeer were part of an epic brawl in 1990 that saw a bunch of players fined or ejected. Barkley was fined $20,000 for punching Laimbeer. Isiah Thomas, Rick Mahorn were among the others involved.

"Bill is a great guy," Barkley said. "I have a lot of respect for him but it was fun punching him."

As for the Detroit fans that night cheering on Barkley, they were correct. Barkley, who playing his first season with the Suns, did win the MVP. It ended Michael Jordan's two-year stranglehold on the award.

It still didn't help Barkley avoid ending his career without a championship. The Suns lost to Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals in six games. It was the Bulls' final title before Jordan entered his first retirement.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com