“How much you think that jersey would go for?” – George Karl on selling Charles Barkley’s Game 7 jersey after 1993 WCF loss originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The Seattle SuperSonics were one game short of advancing to the 1993 NBA Finals, but they couldn’t overcome the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns. It was a tough pill to swallow, especially considering the Sonics gave the Suns one hell of a series that ended in seven games.
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The loss unsurprisingly sucked the life out of a franchise that, at the time, hadn’t gone to the Finals since 1979. However, Sonics coach George Karl got some consolation in the end after Barkley gave his son the game jersey.
It turns out that both had talked about the jersey even before the Western Conference finals series got underway.
“I told Charles I needed some help with my kid’s college education. How much you think that jersey would go for?” the Sonics head coach said jokingly after that Game 7 loss via the New York Times.
But deep inside, Karl was hurting about the loss. He felt the Sonics had a good chance to win and advance.
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“Just wish we could play again,” he added. “I didn’t conceive we’d play like this. My players? The only thing I can do is say thank you. It was the best year of my life.”
Barkley had something to prove
Critics also felt the Sonics had a good chance to win the series. Some believed the Suns lacked the height and toughness to match Shawn Kemp and the Sonics down low.
Barkley used this motivation to play harder in Game 7.
“Listen, there are a lot of idiots in the world. They said we were too small, not tough. Well, there are only two teams left, so we’ve made a lot of people look like fools. So far, we’ve got the last laugh,” Barkley said after dropping 44 points and hauling down 24 rebounds for Phoenix in Game 7.
Barkley and the Suns went on to face the Chicago Bulls in the Finals. The legendary forward continued to lead the way for Phoenix, but Michael Jordan and company proved too much for them to handle. The Bulls finished the series in six games.
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Looking back on that run, Barkley admitted he could have done better. Being the leader of the team, he is still frustrated that he failed to lead the Suns to the title.
“I was just in shock when the game was over because… I was so frustrated because I couldn’t wheel my team past Michael and the Bulls. Firstly, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over it. That was traumatic,” Barkley said on an episode of “Open Court.”
Barkley was at his peak in ’93
Overall, the 1992-93 season would have been the most memorable for Barkley had they beaten the Bulls in the Finals. He won his first and only MVP award that year.
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It was one of the reasons why Karl’s son may have wanted Barkley’s jersey.
Although he was already recognized as a star with the Philadelphia 76ers, his performance for the Suns at the time was on another level. Barkley averaged 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks in 76 regular season games that year.
After that 1993 Finals run, Barkley failed to make it to the same stage again. Injuries started to take their toll on him, forcing him to miss games with the Suns and the Houston Rockets, his last NBA team.
Although he never won a title, Barkley proved that he was one of the greatest ever to play the game. Despite being undersized at his position, he’s one of the best power forwards in the history of basketball.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.