Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Gave Charles Barkley The Cold Shoulder During First Meeting

Shandel Richardson | Dec 11, 2024

Dec 3, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attends the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was among the most eccentric people during his playing days.

He often read books at his locker before games. He rarely joked around with the media. He was there just to play basketball.

Charles Barkley learned the hard way of Jabbar's seriousness. They met for the first time at the NBA All-Star game in the early 1980s.

“At the All-Star Game, all the guys get together in a room beforehand just before they announce us to the crowd," Barkley said. "So Kareem is sitting in the corner. I’m with like [Larry] Bird, [Kevin] McHale, and Karl Malone, and I said, ‘You know, I never met Kareem before.’ They’re like, ‘Go over and say hello to him!”

Barkley made his way over only to be met with disappointment. Jabbar basically blew him off.

“He’s sitting over in the corner by himself with his head down," Barkley said. "[I say] Mister Jabbar, can I talk to you. He looks up. ‘I’m reading.’”

Jabbar recently confirmed the encounter during a recent interview with Shaquille O'Neal. He said it was nothing personal against Barkley. There were some things he preferred to do before games than socialize.

“There were just times I couldn’t be bothered," Jabbar said to O'Neal. "Now, Charles is making me pay for it.”

Jabbar and Barkley were definitely different from a personality standpoint.

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

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