Basketball Hall-of-Famer and well-known TNT analyst Charles Barkley recently revealed that he was once traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1990s—until the deal fell through.

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports. Over the years, several NBA legends have donned the team’s purple and gold jerseys, contributing to their 17 championships. While some of their greatest players were drafted and developed by the organization, others were already established stars before joining the team.

Players like Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were already standout talents in other cities before making their way to Los Angeles. The Lakers are hoping to replicate that success with Luka Doncic, whom they acquired in a stunning trade from the Dallas Mavericks in February.

However, it turns out another NBA legend nearly became a Laker decades ago—none other than 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley.

One of the biggest trades of the 1990s was the Philadelphia 76ers sending Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns. However, Barkley recently claimed that he was initially set to go to the Lakers instead.

“I got traded to the Lakers. True story,” Barkley shared on a recent episode of his Steam Room podcast. “One morning, my agent calls me and says, ‘Hey, the Sixers finally pulled the trigger.’ I got traded to the Lakers. And I’m like, ‘Damn, thank you. Bout time. I can’t wait.’ So I get my friends together, we go to Friday’s on City Line Avenue, and we get blasted. I told them, ‘Let’s meet at 12. I’m out of hell and purgatory.’”

Charles Barkley Career Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG

“By about 3 o’clock [the next day], my agent calls again and says the Sixers backed out of the deal. We had a game that night. I rush home, take a quick nap, and I don’t even remember what happened in the game,” he admitted. “I was so mad. That was the strangest trade situation I’ve ever experienced.”

After spending eight seasons and making six All-Star appearances in Philadelphia, Barkley wanted to move on while he was still among the league’s best players. His arrival in Phoenix transformed the Suns into a true contender, giving the team a level of relevance they had never experienced before.

At the time, the Lakers lacked star players like Dan Majerle or Kevin Johnson. So for Barkley, who was determined to compete for a championship, landing in Phoenix ultimately proved to be the better choice.