Charles Barkley Says He Has a ‘Man Crush’ on Lions Coach Dan Campbell

The NBA legend has rooted for the Lions all season because of the coach.
Charles Barkley Says He Has a ‘Man Crush’ on Lions Coach Dan Campbell
Charles Barkley Says He Has a ‘Man Crush’ on Lions Coach Dan Campbell /
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Charles Barkley is rooting for the Detroit Lions this NFL postseason mostly because of his admiration of the team’s coach, Dan Campbell.

During Barkley’s show with Gayle King on CNN titled King Charles, the NBA legend expressed his love for the Lions and Campbell to Lions fan and Michigan native, comedian Keegan-Michael Key.

“I have fell in love with the Detroit Lions,” Barkley said. “I have a man crush on Dan Campbell. I know nothing about Dan Campbell, but I’m like ‘I want to play for Dan Campbell.’”

Key agreed with Barkley that he would want to play under Campbell’s leadership, too.

This isn’t the first time Barkley has made a public statement about his love for Campbell. Before the 2023 season started, Barkley said “I want the Lions to do well, because I love me some Dan Campbell” when speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast.

The Lions then went on to have their best season (12–5) since 2014 when they went 11–5. Now, Detroit will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC championship for a chance to go to Super Bowl LVIII.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.