There is no play in basketball that quite grabs the eyeballs and lives on in highlight reels for weeks like a poster dunk.

The feeling of soaring above your opponent who tries to block your shot, only to find himself on the wrong end of a poster, is one of the most exhilarating experiences in the game.

And Charles Barkley, one of the greatest power forwards to ever do it, knows that feeling all too well.

That easygoing attitude was a hallmark of Barkley’s career. Despite being undersized for a power forward at just 6’6”, he built a Hall of Fame résumé through grit, hustle, and fearlessness. From out-rebounding seven-footers to throwing himself into every defensive challenge, Barkley embodied the mentality he still preaches today — compete with everything you’ve got and never take yourself too seriously.

“Basketball’s supposed to be fun,” Barkley said. “You play hard, you respect the game, and you laugh when things don’t go your way. Because believe me, they won’t always go your way.”

He also shared a hilarious story about the time Shaquille O’Neal dunked on him so hard that he lost his balance and stumbled backward. “Man, Shaq got me good one night,” Barkley recalled, laughing. “He hit me with that shoulder, turned around, and BOOM! I went flying. I told him afterward, ‘You better enjoy that, big fella, because next time I’m fouling the heck out of you.’ That’s basketball.”

However, Barkley isn’t shying away from the fact that sometimes, he was on the wrong side of it. In fact, he was never concerned about that part of the game, saying it comes with the competitive nature of the sport.

“Clearly, we would be watching a guy shooting two free throws. There is a 100% chance if you tried to dunk on me, that I would knock the hell out of you.

 Like, in my day, you could actually do that, now you get suspended for a week,” Barkley answered when asked which guy would he pick to dunk over him.

“You have to check your ego at the door when you are playing sports. I’ve been dunked on many times. If you play sports, you are going to get embarrassed.

Your job is to go back and embarrass them,” he added. “Michael Jordan’s dunked on me before. Alonzo Mourning… Shaq’s dunked on me before… When you play sports. Somebody’s gonna get you.”

Barkley just got up and played on

At the highest level of basketball, egos come into play constantly. Guys are trying to one-up each other while also protecting their own ground, and when you add that competitive fire into the mix, you get plenty of heated moments.

Still, as Barkley mentioned, even he — someone who delivered his fair share of Kodak moments himself — got caught on the wrong end of it from time to time.

One of the most memorable examples came at the hands of his friend and rival, Michael Jordan. For many, MJ is the greatest to ever lace them up, and when he met Barkley at the rim, Chuck didn’t stand a chance.

Not only did Jordan dunk on him, but the force of the finish threw him to the floor, leaving him with nothing else to do but get up, walk to the other end, and try to leave it in a rearview mirror.

Barkley’s ability to just shrug it off and basically go with the next play shows maturity in those kinds of situations.

Charles Barkley has never been one to mince words — and his latest viral moment proves once again why he’s one of the most refreshingly honest voices in sports. In a candid new interview that sent fans into a frenzy, the NBA legend delivered a classic Barkley truth bomb, revealing that he never cared about being “posterized” during his career — and that, in his mind, getting dunked on was simply “part of the game.”

“Dunk on me? Go ahead!” Barkley said with his trademark grin. “People act like that’s some big embarrassment. It’s not! That’s sports, baby! You go up, you compete, sometimes you win, sometimes you get dunked on. That’s the price of playing hard.”

The clip, which quickly made the rounds on social media, came from Barkley’s appearance on a recent sports podcast where he reflected on his years guarding some of the most explosive players in NBA history — from Michael Jordan to Dominique Wilkins, Shaquille O’Neal, and a young Kobe Bryant. Asked if he ever felt embarrassed by getting dunked on, Barkley burst out laughing.

“Man, if you never get dunked on, that means you’re not trying!” he said. “You think I’m gonna just stand around and let someone score? No way. You go up with them — and sometimes, they get you. That’s how you know you’re competing.”

It’s a classic Barkley perspective — equal parts humor, humility, and raw truth. The Hall of Famer has always prided himself on authenticity, both during his playing days and now as the outspoken face of TNT’s Inside the NBA. While modern players often go viral for highlight reels and taunting celebrations, Barkley reminded everyone that basketball’s beauty lies in its competition, not its perfection.

His remarks struck a chord with fans and former players alike. On social media, one fan wrote, “That’s why we love Chuck — no ego, just honesty.” Another added, “Barkley was never afraid of anything on the court. Getting dunked on didn’t define him — his effort did.”

Even current NBA stars chimed in. Draymond Green reposted the clip on X with the caption, “Facts. You can’t be great without risking getting dunked on.” Meanwhile, Ja Morant, known for his own high-flying exploits, tweeted, “Respect. You gotta go up for the block — win or lose.”

Barkley’s comments also touched on how much the culture around sports highlights has changed since his playing days. “Back then,” he said, “you’d see a dunk on SportsCenter and laugh it off. Now, it’s on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok — everywhere! People act like it’s the end of the world. Man, who cares? If somebody catches you, that just means you were doing your job.”

But beyond the laughter, Barkley’s point carried real wisdom — especially for younger players. “These kids today, they worry too much about getting embarrassed,” he said. “They don’t wanna be on a highlight reel for the wrong reason. But that’s how you learn! You can’t play scared. You can’t grow if you’re worried about your image more than your effort.”

That sentiment resonated with many former pros who’ve grown frustrated with how social media can amplify mistakes and erode players’ confidence. “Chuck’s right,” said retired guard Jamal Crawford in a follow-up post. “The fear of failure stops a lot of guys from competing. But every dunk, every block, every mistake — that’s how you build toughness.”

Barkley’s words also serve as a reminder of why fans continue to gravitate toward him decades after his retirement. While so many public figures polish their image or toe the corporate line, Barkley stays unapologetically real. Whether he’s cracking jokes about Charles Oakley, calling out soft play in today’s league, or sharing hard-earned life lessons, his authenticity is unmatched.

“I’m not trying to be perfect,” Barkley said. “I’m just trying to be honest. That’s what people respect — not pretending, but telling the truth.”

It’s a philosophy that’s carried him from the courts of Philadelphia and Phoenix to the broadcast booth, where he’s become one of sports media’s most beloved (and unpredictable) personalities. And even as the game evolves — with analytics, social media branding, and constant scrutiny — Barkley’s old-school perspective continues to cut through the noise.

“Basketball’s simple,” he said toward the end of the interview. “You play hard. You play fair. You take your hits and you keep moving. If someone dunks on you, smile. Because next time, maybe you’ll get them.”

Fans couldn’t get enough of it. Within hours, the clip racked up millions of views, sparking a flood of nostalgic comments from those who grew up watching Barkley in his prime. “Chuck didn’t care about the highlight,” one fan wrote. “He cared about the hustle.”

And that’s the legacy Barkley continues to champion — one built not on avoiding embarrassment, but on embracing the competition that defines the game. Because as he put it so perfectly:

“Sports aren’t about never getting beat. They’re about showing up every time — even when you might.”

Vince explains the decline of poster dunks

It’s no secret that the game back then was played under a different set of rules when it came to physicality.

Driving into the paint meant bracing for contact, because nine times out of ten, you were going to get hit. Players from that era know it better than anyone.

That’s part of the reason Vince Carter, one of the greatest dunkers ever, often points out why there’s been a decline in true poster dunks in today’s NBA.

Sure, guys like Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant still hunt for “murders” at the rim any time they step on the hardwood, but according to Air Canada, it’s just not the same.

And that’s exactly what Barkley was getting at. In his day, if you tried to dunk on him, you’d feel it. But at the same time, he embraced the reality that even the toughest defenders will eventually be put on a poster. For Chuck, it was perfectly normal, and the crucial thing was how a player responds to it.