Video: Charles Barkley gives eulogy at Moses Malone’s funeral

Charles Barkley gave the eulogy for former teammate Moses Malone on Saturday.

SI Wire | Sep 19, 2015

Video: Charles Barkley gives eulogy at Moses Malone’s funeral /

Charles Barkley gave the eulogy for former teammate Moses Malone on Saturday.

“I called Moses dad. I haven't called him Moses since 1985. Every time I saw him, I called him dad ... when I got to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984 we had a lot of tremendous older brothers on the team,” Barkley said, listing off his teammates. “But there was one guy, and to this day, I never understood why, who took me under his wing, and that was Moses.”

Barkley went on to discuss their relationship and remember Malone, who he said once motivated him by calling him “fat and lazy” when Barkley was a 300-pound rookie with Philadelphia and helping him get his career on track. The two once lived in the same building, and Malone was instrumental in Barkley's transformation into an NBA star.

• Moses and Me: Idolizing a legend | Malone was Chairman of the Boards

“Anybody who connected with him, you were a much better person,” Barkley said. He went on to express his honor at being chosen to speak, calling it bittersweet. “When the family asked me to speak today, it meant my dad was proud of me.”

Malone died at age 60 from cardiovascular disease on Sept. 13.

The video, parts of which are censored for language, can be watched below.