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Outrageous!: The Fine Life and Flagrant Good Times of Basketball's Irresistible Force
The five-time NBA all-star looks back on his life and basketball career, discussing his opinions on basketball technique and style, the NBA draft, and more
315 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 22, 2025
By 1992, his eighth season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Charles Barkley already had a lot to say about the league in his book ‘Outrageous'. He was the new all-star in Philly who replaced the legendary Julius Erving, and had a lot to prove not only to his fans, former coaches, and teammates, but to himself. Outrageous is an autobiography that roughly follows the story of Sir Charles’ entrance into the National Basketball Association.
If you’ve ever heard of Charles Barkley, there's a good chance that there was some controversy that was tied with his name. It seems as if a lot of people associate a “bad boy” image with Barkley, and as is the case with every story, there is a second side to it. You get the no filter opinion on a lot of aspects of professional and amateur sports as a player, and his personal perspective on the management and coaching (Including his hatred for coach Bob Knight and 76er owner Harold Katz).
Barkley grew up in Leeds Alabama and was raised by his single mother and grandmother. He shares his experience of growing up without a father figure, how he felt cheated and missed the companionship seeing other kids with their fathers. He started playing basketball in middle school, but said he never really excelled until his junior year of high school. He entered his senior season with no college offers until the Alabama state tournament, where he gave the state’s top recruit Bobby Lee Hurt the business. He played at Auburn for 3 years before declaring for the NBA draft and being picked 5th overall.
He had a unique entrance into his first season with the 76er’s. Two seasons before Barkley arrived, the 76ers were a dominant championship team. Even though Barkley was good, he didn’t quite fit into the lineup under Billy Cunningham who “didn’t start rookies, period.” (pg. 130). This of course never stopped Barkley from wanting to play well, and actually gave him the challenge of proving his coach wrong, an accomplishment he never shies away from.
Charles Barkley is no different from the common person, and has faced his fair share of challenges throughout his lifetime. Despite growing up without a father, he found a mentor to help fill that void in his life, Moses Malone. Throughout Outrageous, Barkley references Moses Malone’s influence on him throughout the book. When Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets in 1986, Barkley comments in his book how devastating to his mental health the move was, saying “it screwed me up a great deal for some time because in losing Moses, I lost another father figure, someone who was more important to me than anyone in my life,” (pg. 150).
Charles Barkley made it clear he did not want to be looked at as a role model. In fact, he doesn’t believe any athlete or entertainer should be looked at as a role model. He expresses this thought while talking about an experience he had hosting a radio show, where a woman in the crowd grabbed the microphone and told him he was “being a poor role model for young people who look up to professional athletes.” Charles pushes the narrative that younger people should look to someone who works hard and contributes to their family and society.
Reading the book in the present day brings to light one of the major flaws, some of his points are not relative to today’s world. The book was written in 1992 after all, but a good amount of what he talks about relating to the NBA was out of date by the next season. Nobody could have predicted who was going to win the NBA finals the following season, or the following 3 seasons for that.
I would suggest the book to anyone like me, someone who had a hard set opinion on the type of person Charles Barkley was. You are not going to agree with everything he says, every choice he makes, or his opinions on certain people, but you are going to learn about the story of Charles Barkely that the media does not report on (Or at least the other side of the story). Maybe you know him as one of the 80s and 90s most dominant players, an asshole that does not care about what people think of him, the guy who spat on a little girl courtside, or the fourth host on Inside the NBA who never won a championship, but I guarantee everyone has something to learn after reading Outrageous.
If you’ve ever heard of Charles Barkley, there's a good chance that there was some controversy that was tied with his name. It seems as if a lot of people associate a “bad boy” image with Barkley, and as is the case with every story, there is a second side to it. You get the no filter opinion on a lot of aspects of professional and amateur sports as a player, and his personal perspective on the management and coaching (Including his hatred for coach Bob Knight and 76er owner Harold Katz).
Barkley grew up in Leeds Alabama and was raised by his single mother and grandmother. He shares his experience of growing up without a father figure, how he felt cheated and missed the companionship seeing other kids with their fathers. He started playing basketball in middle school, but said he never really excelled until his junior year of high school. He entered his senior season with no college offers until the Alabama state tournament, where he gave the state’s top recruit Bobby Lee Hurt the business. He played at Auburn for 3 years before declaring for the NBA draft and being picked 5th overall.
He had a unique entrance into his first season with the 76er’s. Two seasons before Barkley arrived, the 76ers were a dominant championship team. Even though Barkley was good, he didn’t quite fit into the lineup under Billy Cunningham who “didn’t start rookies, period.” (pg. 130). This of course never stopped Barkley from wanting to play well, and actually gave him the challenge of proving his coach wrong, an accomplishment he never shies away from.
Charles Barkley is no different from the common person, and has faced his fair share of challenges throughout his lifetime. Despite growing up without a father, he found a mentor to help fill that void in his life, Moses Malone. Throughout Outrageous, Barkley references Moses Malone’s influence on him throughout the book. When Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets in 1986, Barkley comments in his book how devastating to his mental health the move was, saying “it screwed me up a great deal for some time because in losing Moses, I lost another father figure, someone who was more important to me than anyone in my life,” (pg. 150).
Charles Barkley made it clear he did not want to be looked at as a role model. In fact, he doesn’t believe any athlete or entertainer should be looked at as a role model. He expresses this thought while talking about an experience he had hosting a radio show, where a woman in the crowd grabbed the microphone and told him he was “being a poor role model for young people who look up to professional athletes.” Charles pushes the narrative that younger people should look to someone who works hard and contributes to their family and society.
Reading the book in the present day brings to light one of the major flaws, some of his points are not relative to today’s world. The book was written in 1992 after all, but a good amount of what he talks about relating to the NBA was out of date by the next season. Nobody could have predicted who was going to win the NBA finals the following season, or the following 3 seasons for that.
I would suggest the book to anyone like me, someone who had a hard set opinion on the type of person Charles Barkley was. You are not going to agree with everything he says, every choice he makes, or his opinions on certain people, but you are going to learn about the story of Charles Barkely that the media does not report on (Or at least the other side of the story). Maybe you know him as one of the 80s and 90s most dominant players, an asshole that does not care about what people think of him, the guy who spat on a little girl courtside, or the fourth host on Inside the NBA who never won a championship, but I guarantee everyone has something to learn after reading Outrageous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2025
Written during the tail end of his prime. I feel as though this book showed some ugly sides of himself. By attempting to add context for his “outrageous” side of himself, he made himself kinda seem like an asshole who refused to ever take any accountability. Writing was also repetitive and dull. Despite all that I’m still a big fan of the man.
January 25, 2022
A smart book not only about basketball. We would like Barkley to write another part about his further life in nba, in Phoenix and in Houston. I do not agree with all the statements, but it is a great read. The opposite of Dennis Rodman's autobiography.
May 28, 2018
An entertaining and candid account by Charles Barkley during his early years of success at Auburn and Philadelphia 76'ers.
May 23, 2020
This had some entertaining parts in it. Not bad over all.
Read
May 20, 2007This is an autobiographical book by Charles Barkley, the legendary basketball player who is a frequent TV commentator during the basketball season now. How could this book possibly belong among the other books I've read? (See answer below)
I agree with the review. Barkley is a very colorful character in bball circles. Could there be another side to the bad boy image as he is portrayed in the media? Well, of course, yes. The reviewer below has stated the limits pretty clearly.
reviewed by Kyle Jones on Amazon
"If you're looking for the biography of a great man, a hero, this isn't it. But one of the good things that has come from a culture where anyone can publish a book is that you're almost certain to be able to hear both sides of any story. Barkley has been pilloried by the media for his antics; it is interesting as a fan of sport to read Barkley's account of events and his role in them.
Other than those details, the book's contents are not going to surprise you unless you're unaware of how poor black people grow up in the rural South. The requisite funny anecdotes are there, along with a pro's insights into the game of basketball. But if you're looking for a biography that will inspire you, look elsewhere."
Answer: basketball junkie
I agree with the review. Barkley is a very colorful character in bball circles. Could there be another side to the bad boy image as he is portrayed in the media? Well, of course, yes. The reviewer below has stated the limits pretty clearly.
reviewed by Kyle Jones on Amazon
"If you're looking for the biography of a great man, a hero, this isn't it. But one of the good things that has come from a culture where anyone can publish a book is that you're almost certain to be able to hear both sides of any story. Barkley has been pilloried by the media for his antics; it is interesting as a fan of sport to read Barkley's account of events and his role in them.
Other than those details, the book's contents are not going to surprise you unless you're unaware of how poor black people grow up in the rural South. The requisite funny anecdotes are there, along with a pro's insights into the game of basketball. But if you're looking for a biography that will inspire you, look elsewhere."
Answer: basketball junkie
Read
March 12, 2014Outrageous" by Charles Barkley,is a biography based on not only his career but his personal life it goes into subjects as far as his basketball accomplishments, to his TV feuds with other professional athletes. I really liked this book because of the many stories it told from the perspective as a pro ball player. I do not have any dislikes about the book in my opinion it was an all around good-book, it gave details it hit many topics and it also gave insight on why Barkley did what he did. if i were to recommend this book to other readers i would recommended to any athlete and more specifically any ball player who is trying to play their sport at the next level.
June 13, 2007
Most autobiographies especially ones about athletes are self-aggrandizing sports cliché generators about how hard work pays off with million dollar contracts (of course without any mention of the athletic gifts they were born with). This is not one of those books. Barkley is honest, confrontational and genius. Whether you want to know what its like to play for the Dream Team or his now famous comments that Athletes should not be role models Outrageous is a rare athletic autobiographies worth reading.
Read
February 10, 2013Entertaining as hell.
August 21, 2013
Wish I would have read it in it's time! Charles will truly say anything
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews