During his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Charles Barkley shared a valuable lesson he learned from Hall of Famer Grant Hill’s mother, Janet Hill.
According to Barkley, the advice came during the 1996 Olympics when Janet warned him about the dangers of becoming the primary financial supporter for family and friends. Her words stuck with him, shaping how he approached money throughout his career and into his later years. At the time Barkley, who had been drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984, has alrady been in the NBA for several years.
She passed away on Aug. 13, 2022, at age 74.
What Did She Say
“Grant Hill’s mom —yeah, rest in peace— gave me the best advice ever,” Barkley said on the podcast interview that was posted on May 1, 2024. The interview recently resurfaced on social media.
“We were at the Olympics here in Atlanta in ’96, and she and Calvin [Hill, Janet’s husband and Grant’s former Dallas Cowboys running back father] had come down for a couple of games,” Barkley said. “She said, ‘Chuck, we’re going to be here a couple of days, but we have to get back to work.’ I said, ‘Grant just signed the first $100 million contract in NBA history!’ She said, ‘Sit your ass down, Charles.’ I said, ‘Miss Hill?’ She said, ‘Charles, I’m just going to give you some advice. Do not start taking care of your family and friends. Because, No. 1, they’re never going to stop. And No. 2, it’s going to ruin all your relationships,'” Barkley told Sharpe.
He continued, “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘When you start giving people money, they’re never going to ask you just once, right? But the second thing is, no matter what you do for them, the first time you tell them no, they’ll hate you.’ And I said, ‘What?’ And I had to learn — the people I had been giving money to, the first time I told them no, they were like, ‘No, no, no, we’re not friends anymore.’ That was a tough and painful lesson for me.”
Barkley also discussing with Sharpe the sad reality that about 80 percent of professional athletes will experience a financial demise.
“Yo, this money … You’re 20. When you’re 55, how much money are you going to have left? That’s the key,” Barkley said.
