Charles Barkley is known for his quick wit and unexpected personal stories. Back in 2019, he shared his hilarious first meeting with NFL legend Tom Brady and how he became his ‘man crush.’
Fast forward a few years, and Barkley took an unexpected turn, delivering a sharp and surprising insult to Brady, who recently sparked new dating rumors, particularly targeting the former quarterback’s golfing abilities.
Charles Barkley revealed his crush on Brady
On Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2019, Barkley admitted to having a “man crush” on Tom Brady, praising his looks and humor. Barkley explained that he was invited by Bill Belichick to meet the New England Patriots a week before the Super Bowl and there he met the former quarterback.
He met both Gronk and the seven-time Super Bowl champion and was mesmerized by his beautiful eyes.
“I’m looking at these guys, and all of a sudden I look at Gronk (Rob Gronkowski), and then Tom Brady’s like right here,” Barkley said. “And I look him in the eyes, and I said, ‘Damn, you a pretty man.’ That’s what I was thinking to myself, and I got so embarrassed, I started to turn my head to talk to him.”
He shared the embarrassing moment with the host when he couldn’t maintain eye contact with the former QB due to his charm, emphasizing that Tom Brady is a pretty man.
“I was like, ‘Hey Tom, it’s good to see you, man. I haven’t seen you in a while.’ I see why he scored them touchdowns because the defense will look at his eyes, they get mesmerized. That Tom Brady, he’s a pretty man, y’all. He’s a nice guy, too, but, man, I can’t look him in the eyes again. He’s living a good life.”
Barkley shared that he is not the only one who thinks that way about the former QB but Shaq also found him very good-looking.
“Shaq came in the other night and he’s like, ‘Man, I had dinner with Tom Brady the other night.’ He came and said, ‘Man, Imma tell you something.’ I said, ‘What?’ ‘I was out with Tom Brady the other night. You were right. That’s a pretty man.’
To which Barkley replied that whenever he is around the NFL legend, he can’t look into his eyes or he forgets everything. There is no doubt that, besides being an NFL legend, the 46-year-old is also one of the best-looking athletes.
His charm also captivated Charles Barkley, who publicly admitted his crush on him and admired his looks.
Barkley insulted Brady over golfing
Despite a generally friendly relationship, Barkley and Tom Brady have had contentious moments in golf. They had a brutal banter leading up to “The Match,” an exhibition golf event.
Even though the seven-time Super Bowl champion was his crush, Barkley didn’t shy away from criticizing him for his golfing skills.
Barkley expressed disgust at Phil Mickelson for choosing to play with the former QB instead of him.
“I’m just disgusted by Phil Mickelson. I cannot believe that he wants to play with this mother instead of me.”
He acknowledged Brady’s greatness but confidently claimed he could beat him in golf.
“He’s a really nice person; he’s a really nice person….. but I don’t think Tom can beat me in golf. I really don’t. Not right now he can’t.”
Brady took Barkley’s golf insults personally and mentioned it was the worst insult he had ever received and it has fueled his motivation to play better.
The NFL legend told Golf Digest, “I hope he starts talking trash on the practice range because that definitely lit a fire under me. Any time your golf swing gets insulted by Charles, you gotta take that to heart. I had a lot of insults, that was probably one of the worst insults I could imagine: Charles Barkley insulting my golf swing.”
After this bitter interaction with Charles, Brady improved his golfing skills. Now, Tom Brady is retired from the NFL and has embarked on much bigger post-retirement ventures. As he is gearing up for his broadcasting career, the former QB shared that ‘he hopes to learn from Barkley.’
This golfing banter didn’t affect the respect and admiration Brady and Barkley have for each other. As the former QB starts his broadcasting career, fans can expect to witness such interactions between him and Charles again.
