Charles Barkley on his own character (and Tonya Harding)

“I was going to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I have no character.”
— Charles Barkley

Basketball superstar Charles Barkley has always been mindful of publicity — and he’s also self-aware when it comes to taking himself down a peg, too.

He uttered this quote just before the Lillehammer Olympics in the winter of 1994, when the whole planet was talking about Tonya Harding and the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan, and Barkley — always a controversy magnet anyway — found himself part of the narrative.

Days after Kerrigan was struck on the thigh after a practice in Detroit, Harding said this to a New York Times reporter (gift link included): “You guys say I’m controversial, so maybe I am. I’m kind of like the Charles Barkley of figure skating. A lot of people like me being open-minded and doing what I think is right. Some don’t. That’s who I am.”

Barkley’s reaction was a classic show of his wit. He took the spotlight, but did it with a shrug and a smile.

Barkley, now 63, remains in the public eye with as a basketball pundit on ESPN.