Lakers News: NBA Legend Charles Barkley Reveals He Was Close to Joining LA

The Los Angeles Lakers have had and will continue to have an array of superstars don the purple and gold. As much as the Lakers are beloved in the world, they are just as hated.

Many aren't big fans of the purple and gold for one reason or another, and one of the more renowned haters of the Lakers is the NBA legend turned analyst Charles Barkley.

Barkley has always been vocal about the Lakers, especially this season, as he does not believe they are contenders even though they are now 16-4 in their last 20 games.

Nonetheless, what he says usually goes viral, which was the case in his latest podcast with co-host Ernie Johnson on a recent episode of The Steam Room.

A listener asked the 11-time NBA All-Star to name a trade that nearly happened back in his playing days, and he recalled a trade that was called off by his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, that almost sent him to the Lakers.

"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.'"

"I was so mad," Barkley said.

The time Charles Barkley was traded to the Lakers 😱

...And then untraded 😂 pic.twitter.com/VIySbFMojG
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 28, 2025

At the end of the video, Johnson mentioned how he had never heard Barkley tell that story.

Barkley also never specified at what point in time this took place.

The NBA Hall of Famer started his career with the 76ers in 1984 and played there for the first seven-plus seasons of his career.

In his career, Barkley played for three NBA teams: the 76ers, the Phoenix Suns, and the Houston Rockets. If the trade had gone through, Barkley would have been among the rest of the Lakers' legends, alongside Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Elgin Baylor, and his TNT parameter and Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

Assuming this trade was in the late '80s or early '90s, the Lakers would have been in contention for a title prior toacquiring O'Neal and trading for Bryant in the late '90s.

Barkley finished his career averaging 22.1 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists and is a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team.

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For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.