“Because you’re fat and you’re lazy.” ~Moses Malone to Charles Barkley

Doug and I watched the Charles Barkley episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. I’m originally from the Philadelphia area, so I was excited to see what the “round mound of rebound” had to say and he did not disappoint.

When he was in his rookie year (1984-85), he wasn’t really playing very much, which didn’t make him happy. Mind you, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers the year after they had gone to the championship and fellow team members included veterans like Dr. J, Moses Malone, and Maurice Cheeks. So he reached out to Moses Malone who happened to live in the same building as Barkley, and asked if they could talk. When Barkley asked Malone, “Why am I not playing?” Malone responded, “Because you’re fat and you’re lazy.” Barkley said he did what any man would do in that situation—he went home and cried! But then took the advice to heart, dropped over 50 lbs with the help of Malone, and became the All-Star Hall-of-Famer that he is today. He still views Moses Malone as the most impactful person in his life (along with his grand mom and mom, in that order).

Who is our “Moses Malone?” Who do we need to ask, “Why am I not playing?”And who loves us enough to say, “Because you’re fat and you’re lazy.” I have a couple people I think would be Moses Malone to me, and me to them. It’s something to ponder, for sure. But most importantly, I believe we need to be brave enough to ask, “Why am I not playing?” That is step #1.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth Fitzgerald