Getting up there in years, Barkley wasn’t quite the dominant force he was in his prime. He also dealt with injuries during his time in Houston. That being said, in his first season there he averaged 13.5 rebounds per game, the second-highest average in his career. The Rockets made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals with three veteran legends on the squad, but the team fell to the Utah Jazz in six games.

While he was scoring less, over the next couple of seasons Barkley was still a double-double machine. In the 1999-2000 season, however, Barkley suffered a ruptured tendon in his quad that December. Many expected this to be the end of Barkley’s career. However, he refused to let his last game end with an injury. Chuck returned on April 19, 2000, to play in one more game. He got on the court, scored a basket, and was taken out of the game to a standing ovation. Barkley immediately retired on the spot.

After retiring, Barkley signed on to be a TV analyst for TNT. That’s a job he still has, and a job that has made him arguably even more famous than he was as a player. He has been, needless to say, polarizing. Some love him and think he’s hilarious. He’s even won three Sports Emmys for Outstanding Studio Analyst. Others can’t stand him. Barkley doesn’t seem to care much and doesn’t pay attention to everything. He outwardly says he won’t watch some teams and as many former athletes rail fruitlessly against analytics and “jump-shooting teams.” There have also been controversial statements and off-color jokes. And yet, for two decades now he has been a staple of TNT’s NBA programming.

Barkley has done more than merely being an analyst. He’s one of the NBA players who have his skills stolen by the Monstars in “Space Jam.” Barkley is also one of the athletes who has hosted “Saturday Night Live.” There have been multiple Barkley video games too. Oh, and since it doesn’t fit in anywhere else, he’s done some golfing at celebrity tournaments, mostly to show off his truly terrible golf swing.

Naturally, Barkley was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006, an obvious choice. He’s also had his number retired by Auburn and Philadelphia, and Phoenix has inducted him in his ring of honor. Barkley also was included on the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team.

Barkley was an undersized power forward in an era of massive brutes and giant bodies dominating the court. Despite that, he was able to average 11.7 rebounds per game in his career while winning one rebounding title. Barkley won one MVP, made five All-NBA First Teams, and 11 All-Star Games. When he retired, he was one of four NBA players with over 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists. He was a polarizing player when he was on the court and that’s been true off the court as well. He’s done a lot for charity and given people a lot of laughs. He once threw a man through a plate-glass window and got a DUI in 2008. Barkley, all in all, has always authentically been himself. That has served him well at times and not so well at others. In the end, he was a great player who has made arguably as big of a cultural impact as any athlete.