In high school, Barkley was a starter on the AAU team the Riverside Hawks, along with future professional basketball players Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Elton Brand, and Anthony Glover.

[3] Barkley and Artest would both later star at St. John's together, and led the team to the Elite Eight in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

[5] His final NBA game was played on April 17, 2002, in a 92 - 79 win over the Houston Rockets where he recorded 7 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.

He played his final professional season in 2011 for the Quebec Kebs of the National Basketball League of Canada.

When Barkley told team management he was planning to retire due to injuries, he was persuaded to finish out the season as a player-coach.