Charles Barkley Admits Liking Gambling, Sex, and Drinking

But Barkley also bares his soul to the world, preferring to expose the unvarnished truth rather than use spin doctors and craftily manufacture an image, a la Michael Jordan.

Once again, Charles Barkley has been castigated for living his life as almost everyone else wishes he could. T-Mobile announced it would stop running its hilarious series of ads featuring Barkley after the former NBA star's arrest for drunken driving on New Year's Eve.

Barkley stands out among public figures as a man who is not afraid to tell the truth. Barkley has acknowledged for many years that he is not perfect, telling kids directly to not use him as a role model. But Barkley also bares his soul to the world, preferring to expose the unvarnished truth rather than use spin doctors and craftily manufacture an image, a la Michael Jordan.

Barkley admitted he owed Wynn Resorts $400,000 in casino gambling markers when sued, and then paid the debt. This is in contrast to Joe Francis, who alleged that Steve Wynn enticed him with hookers and booze into losing thousands in markers.

Barkley come straight out and says he loves gambling, claiming to have lost over $10 million at casino tables and on golf courses. He once commented on a NBA player's fine of $50,000 as "two hands of blackjack." Jordan may be even more enthralled by wagering, but he does his best to disguise it from his public.

Barkley should not have been driving over the limit, but drinking and celebrating New Year's Eve with Michael Strahan and Urkel is a surreal scene few average people could refuse. And his excuse to the officers arresting him was a memorable one: he claimed he was heading to meet a woman who was going to repeat an experience he had had the previous week, consisting of "the best (oral sex) I ever had."

TNT has also suspended Barkley from their telecasts. But T-Mobile and TNT misunderstand Barkley's appeal. Everyone knows he's not a figure on a pedestal. The reason the public loves Charles is because he's exactly like us, or rather how we would be if we had the money and the guts to live his lifestyle.