Charles Barkley and Ric Flair—two huge names in sports, but probably not names you'd think of in association with each other. The NBA great and wrestling legend, however, are homies.
At All-Star 2017 in New Orleans, Barkley paid homage to Flair.
At this year's All-Star Weekend festivities, Barkley spoke with UPROXX's Bill Hanstock about his relationship with the WWE Hall of Famer. Barkley spoke of Flair, who is 13 years his senior (Flair is 68, Barkley 55), in glowing terms as he reminisced on their friendship over the years.
"I've known Flair forever, man," Chuck said. "I was a big wrestling fan going back to the '70s and '80s. He's just been a great friend, and I've seen him in his heyday, and we've had a lot of fine nights together. And I went to visit him in the hospital, obviously."
Indeed, when Flair was hospitalized in the fall of 2017, Barkley visited him.
Look Who Popped In Today! Sir Charles 😎 pic.twitter.com/GVl3elpDAH
Flair and Barkley are well-known for their partying pasts. Chuck laughed when Hanstock asked if there were any stories Barkley could share about a time they had experienced together.
"Rick is happily with his new woman, and I'll leave it at that," Barkley said. "Let that man live."
If you're an O.G. wrestling fan, you may remember this 1995 promo featuring Flair and Barkley, who was still a member of the Phoenix Suns at the time.
In separate Barkley news, his Inside the NBA co-host Shaquille O'Neal had some fun at his expense Tuesday with a post celebrating Chuck's birthday and referencing Black Panther.
Happy birthday to the great Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/EnjTzJ8wBB
