My Favorite Cigar
Charles Barkley • Basketball Legend
Padrón Serie 1926 No. 1 Maduro
Sports fans see Charles Barkley on television all the time, his comfortable criticism and immeasurable charm making him a fan favorite, whether he’s analyzing NBA games, joshing with fellow host Shaquille O’Neal or even giving crap to football legend Tom Brady. The 59-year-old learned how to speak his mind early on in his storied NBA career. “It doesn’t matter what you say—half the people are going to like it and half the people are going to dislike it,” he says.
He was dynamite on the NBA court, first with the Philadelphia 76ers, then with the Phoenix Suns (whom he took all the way to the NBA finals) and finally with Houston. He made the All-Star team 11 times, was the 1993 league MVP and won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the renowned Dream Team.
He’s been smoking cigars since the mid 1980s. “Ninety-nine percent of the time when I smoke cigars, I’m playing golf, and I play golf a lot,” he says. His favorites are Padrón cigars—but which Padrón? He basically likes them all. “I’m very flexible,” he says.
—David Savona
