Charles Barkley Says He Was Once Traded to Lakers—Before the Deal Fell Through

Chuck wearing the Lakers purple and gold?

Barkley played 16 years in the NBA for the 76ers, Suns and Rockets from 1984 to 2000. / NBA on TNT

Charles Barkley wearing the Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold? Apparently—for a few hours, at least—that once appeared to be reality.

Speaking to co-host Ernie Johnson on a recent episode of The Steam Room podcast, Barkley was asked by a listener to name a trade that nearly happened from back in his playing days. The transaction he brainstormed involved the Philadelphia 76ers trying to send him to Los Angeles.

"I got traded to the Lakers," Barkley said. "True story. I get a call one morning from my agent: 'Hey, the Sixers finally pulled the trigger.' I got traded to the Lakers. And I'm like, 'damn, thank you, it's about time, can't wait.'

"So, I get my friends together ... and we get blasted. We get blasted, Ernie. ... About 3 a.m., my agent calls me: 'The Sixers pulled out the deal.'"

The time Charles Barkley was traded to the Lakers 😱

...And then untraded 😂 pic.twitter.com/VIySbFMojG

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 28, 2025

Johnson, who has worked alongside Barkley on TNT's Inside the NBA since 2000, had never heard that story before.

"I was so mad," Barkley said.

Barkley didn't reveal when exactly the 76ers-Lakers trade fell apart, but he was eventually traded from Philadelphia to the Phoenix Suns in July 1992. If it occurred at some point during the 1991–92 season, perhaps the Lakers viewed Barkley as their next face of the franchise after Magic Johnson announced his retirement from basketball in November 1991.

Barkley went on to put together a Hall of Fame career over 16 seasons with the 76ers, Suns and Houston Rockets. But Barkley potentially joining the Lakers now qualifies as one of the biggest "what ifs?" in NBA history.

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