Charles Barkley Explains Why He Chose Golf Over Pickleball As His Senior Sport

Charles Barkley’s golf game is infamous, for better and worse.

Charles Barkley during the first round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament. / Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK

Charles Barkley has been quite busy over the past 24 hours.

After broadcasting late Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday morning on the desk of TNT’s Inside the NBA, Barkley hopped on a 7 a.m. flight to Birmingham so he could take part in a Pro-Am ahead of The Tradition, the first major of the PGA Champions Tour season.

Barkley played his round alongside former Alabama coach Nick Saban and pro golfer Stewart Cink, and was then whisked back off to Atlanta so he’d be ready for television once again on Wednesday night.

Barkley broke down his impressive schedule in detail during his round, and also delightfully explained why he chose golf over pickleball as the sport of his post-NBA era.

“Golf is interesting. It’s fun. It’s exciting,” Barkley said. “It’s one of the few sports you can play as you get older. I’m not stupid enough to try and play pickleball. That’s just stupid. But golf is one of the few sports you can play as you get older. It’s something you can do with your kids. It’s something you can do with your grandkids hopefully one day. It’s a very special game.”

Charles Barkley has been busy 😳

-@NBAonTNT goes off air at 2 a.m. in Atlanta, GA
-Goes back to hotel, 6 a.m. alarm
-Leaves hotel at 6:30 a.m.
-Flight leaves at 7 a.m. for Birmingham, AL
-Arrives for 8:50 a.m. @RegionsTrad
-Plays 18 holes with Nick Saban and Stewart Cink
-Flies… pic.twitter.com/ipfKVxztuj

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 14, 2025

Barkley’s golf game used to be a punchline more than anything, but he appears to have come a long way with his swing in the past few years.

If you feel like Barkley is a bit more tired than usual tonight on Inside the NBA, now you know why.

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