Podcasts

NBA Great Byron Scott explains why Charles Barkley’s golf game deteriorated

Published

8 years ago

Mar 21, 2018

It’s the season for basketball and golf, and NBA great Byron Scott had some interesting takes on each when he joined our latest episode of “The 19th Hole with Michael Williams” podcast.

When asked who would win a matchup between his Showtime Lakers — consisting of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy — and the current Golden State Warriors, Scott left no doubt on the outcome.

“I give [the Warriors] a lot of credit for the way they playy the game,” Scott said. “They play a very unselfish brand of basketball and it’s all about winning for them. None of the players have agendas and I admire that. But if we go a a seven game series, we in our heyday and those guys playing the way they play now, we would look at them and say ‘we win this series in five or six games.'”

Scott did recognize the fact that the way the game is refereed would have a bearing on the outcome, however.

“Are we going to play 80’s rules or are we going to play 2018 rules where you can barely touch anybody?” Scot said. “If we play the 80’s rules where you can have the physicality in the game, where we can really get after you, then the series is going to be a pretty short one.”

Scott also talked about playing golf with Charles Barkley and his attempt to cure his now-famous swing issues.

“I played with Charles when he was about a 8-handicap; that was the first time I played with him…he had a really good swing,” Scott said. “Two years later I played with him [at the American Century Celebrity Pro-Am] in Lake Tahoe. That’s when he had the swing that he has today. I was shocked! I was like, ‘Man, what happened?’ He told me the story about hitting somebody (in the gallery) and that he just couldn’t pull the trigger anymore. And I said to him, ‘Are you that mentally weak that you hit someone in the gallery and now you can’t pull the trigger? C’mon, Charles; you’re supposed to be tougher than that.'”

Scott’s motivational speech was well-intentioned, but not especially well-received by Sir Charles.

“He proceeded to curse me out because he didn’t appreciate the way I said that,” laughed Scott. “It was funny, though because the first time he had that really good swing, but ever since then he’s been awful. And he continues to be awful and I don’t think there’s a cure right now for Charles besides just putting it down for a year or two and trying to pick it back up.”

We’d need a time machine to see that Lakers-Warriors matchup, but a Scott vs. Barkley match play on the links sounds like it would be most entertaining.

Listen to the full podcast on SoundCloud below, or click here to listen on iTunes!

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7 Comments

Chris

Mar 22, 2018 at 3:20 am

30 years is a long time, and everything evolves. Training methods get more scientific, I bet there are a lot of things in todays basketball that would be considered Voodoo in 30+years ago. Today’s elite basketball players would absolutely crush any team of the 1980s.

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Law Professor

Mar 21, 2018 at 1:28 pm

The Lakers circa mid-1980s would do exactly to the Golden State Warriors what Scott says they would. The Celtics of the 180s and the Bulls of the 90s would do the same. Anyone who saw Charles Barkley in his prime (strength) or Michael Jordan (quickness) would scoff at the idea that today’s players are stronger and quicker, at least at the highest levels, which is what this is about.

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- Dad
  
  Mar 21, 2018 at 4:59 pm
  
  IDK who would win, but today’s players are taller and more athletic. Lebron James isn’t the freakiest athlete to ever play in the NBA? Westbrook? KD is a 7 footer that steps out to well beyond 3 and has no offensive weakness. I grew up on 80s and 90s basketball, but that argument is ridiculous. If you’re talking better team then you can debate that.
  
  Reply Report comment
moses

Mar 21, 2018 at 12:15 pm

Sorry Byron but today’s players are stronger and quicker than the teams from the 80’s. If you can be physical with them you don’t think Draymond won’t amp things up? It would go 7 games and GS would win 60-70 percent of the time.

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- Law Professor
  
  Mar 21, 2018 at 1:29 pm
  
  Nope.
  
  Reply Report comment
ogo

Mar 21, 2018 at 12:02 pm

Charles (aka the round mound of rebound) has physically deteriorated likely due to a sedentary lifestyle and eating to replace saxual pleasure. His massive body is now locked between his butt and his shoulders so that he can’t twist his body for shoulder torque. Of course, that’s the same for 75% of all golfers worldside.

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why

Mar 21, 2018 at 10:50 am

Am I the only one who doesn’t like these podcasts?

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Club Junkie

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5 days ago

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