Charles Barkley on Winning The Lottery Of Life, Why George Kittle Reminds Him of Himself & His Gambling Tips | The Kittle Things Ep. 1

Summary

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The Kittle Things – Episode 1

Guest: Charles Barkley
Hosts: George Kittle & Claire Kittle
Date: September 9, 2025
Title: Charles Barkley on Winning The Lottery Of Life, Why George Kittle Reminds Him of Himself & His Gambling Tips

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Episode Overview

George and Claire Kittle kick off their new podcast by welcoming the basketball legend and TV personality Charles Barkley for a free-wheeling, hilarious, and insightful conversation. They cover everything from the joys and absurdities of professional sports, the humility of “winning the lottery of life,” Charles’ affinity for football, candid TV advice, gambling tales, predictions for the NFL season, and the little rituals that make life meaningful. Sprinkled throughout are memorable stories, infectious laughter, and the easy banter of new friends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Vibes: Luck, Rituals & Marital Memories

• Blackjack & Beginner’s Luck

  • The crew teases each other over a mini-game of blackjack, with Charles immediately declaring George’s swift win as:

    “That is total beginner’s luck.” (00:16, Charles Barkley)

  • The playful banter sets a casual tone.

• Today in KDL History: The Kittles’ Engagement & Wedding

  • George and Claire recount their engagement and wedding anecdotes, including George’s knee and shoulder injury the day before the proposal.
  • Comedic detail:

    “If you ever hear my mom go ‘Girl Scouts honor’? She's lying.” (02:10, George Kittle)

• Family Rituals Before NFL Games

  • George shares his family’s tradition of expressing gratitude and goals before each game. Claire describes her game-day ritual—the “Push”—where she gives George an empowering shove onto the field.

    “She’s giving me all of her violence for the game.” (05:31, George Kittle)

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2. Charles Barkley: Winning the Lottery of Life

• Kindred Spirits

  • Charles says he agreed to appear because George reminds him of himself as a player—full-hearted, passionate, and joyful.

    "When I watch you play football, I'm like, that dude loves playing football." (07:00, Charles Barkley)

• Perspective on Professional Sports

  • Charles and George reflect on how elite athletes are “the luckiest dudes in the world.”

    “Dude. We hit the lottery of life. All you gotta do is go out there and bust your hump.” (07:15, Charles Barkley)

  • George adds:

    “How sick is it that your office building is a football stadium?” (07:47, George Kittle)

• TV Careers, Authenticity, & Connecting Beyond Sports Nuts

  • Charles predicts George’s TV future, stressing that authenticity and reaching casual fans and families is key:

    “You’re not trying to connect with the football fan…You’re trying to connect with the girlfriend, the wife, and the kids.” (09:24, Charles Barkley)

  • Claire asks about being comfortable on camera; Charles credits mentors and stresses:

    “Just be authentic. They know when you're being phony.” (10:25, Charles Barkley)

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3. Social Media, Criticism, and Locker Room Culture

• On Criticism and Fairness

  • Charles:

    “Dr. J gave me a great lesson…Is the criticism fair? That’s the first thing you have to ask yourself.” (12:07, Charles Barkley)

• Rookie Mistakes in Broadcasting

  • Charles admits his rookie error: swearing on-air due to habits from locker-room culture, leading to some gentle ribbing from his producer:

    “I cursed like my first year probably five to seven to ten times.” (13:13, Charles Barkley)

  • He reminds himself before every show:

    “Yo, man, it’s just basketball. We ain’t saving the world.” (14:14, Charles Barkley)

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4. Charles on NFL Predictions & Philosophy as a Fan

• Eagles, Bills & AFC Powerhouses

  • Charles openly roots for the Eagles (“Birds”) and predicts Bills-Eagles in the Super Bowl, though he’s quick to point out the difficulties of repeating success.

    “If you gave me a choice right now, I would take the Bills against my Eagles.” (16:10, Charles Barkley)

  • Praises Philly’s offensive weapons, coaching moves, and new additions, and tips his cap to AFC contenders like Baltimore and Kansas City.

• On Defensive Strategies and “Double Teaming”

  • Charles questions why NFL teams don’t double-cover stars more, drawing from his basketball experience:

    "Why Chase always open?...It's damn simple, man." (17:42–18:52, Charles Barkley)

  • George expands on coverage challenges and calls back to legends like Jerry Rice.

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5. Shane Gillis, Comedy, & Meeting Cool People

• Surprise Call-in from Comedian Shane Gillis
  • Short, funny phone segment with Eagles superfan Shane Gillis (21:08) underscores the collegial vibe and cross-world sports-comedy friendships.
  • Charles reflects on meeting celebrities, emphasizing how meeting authentic, down-to-earth people is a highlight of his life:

    “When you meet somebody and they're great…it works the other way. When you meet a jock and they're just a total…” (23:45, Charles Barkley)

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6. Gambling: Wisdom, Preferences, and Cautionary Tales

• Slot Machines vs. Table Games

  • Charles candidly advises against slots:

    “You should never play the slot... Casions make about 60-65% of their money from slot machines.” (25:24–25:36, Charles Barkley)

  • He prefers blackjack but dislikes craps unless he trusts who’s rolling:

    “Why should I bet on them? If I bet on Claire and I've never met Claire in my life, why should I bet on her?” (26:18, Charles Barkley)

• On Quitting While You’re Ahead

  • Charles shares practical (and funny) advice from his friends on knowing when to walk away:

    "Why don’t you put your top lip together with your bottom lip and shut the up?" (27:23, Charles Barkley, recounting a friend’s wisdom)

• Final Blackjack Rematch

  • Hosts and Charles play another lighthearted round, with Charles accusing George of “pulling aces out your [rear]” and joking about dealing shenanigans.

    “Welcome to the Claire and George casino where you lose!” (32:03, George Kittle)

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7. Celebrity Tournaments, Golf Yips & Pickleball

• Lake Tahoe ACC Tournament Memories
  • Charles reminisces on 30 years of playing in the celebrity golf tourney, cross-sport friendships, and unlikely pairings (e.g., Larry the Cable Guy).
• Conquering the “Yips”
  • Describes his recovery from a decades-long swing problem with heartfelt humor:

    “I've been to hell and back with my golf game.” (35:32, Charles Barkley)

• Pickleball: Cautionary Tales
  • Charles cracks up both Kittles warning about injuries in aging athletes:

    “Pickleball is the gift that keeps giving…all these old people are killing themselves.” (36:18–36:59, Charles Barkley)

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8. “Game Ball” Superlative Game (38:05)

• Claire and George playfully debate who’s superior at various “little things”:
  • Best academic record (“All Big Ten four times!” – George)
  • Who falls asleep during movies (Claire, hands down)
  • Who orders from the kids’ menu (Claire admits butter noodles everywhere)
  • Who’s their dog’s favorite (Deenie prefers Claire, Hobbs prefers George)
  • Who has AUX cord control and more

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Loving the Game:

  “I loved playing basketball. I felt that I was so lucky and blessed to do something so stupid for a living.”
  (07:01, Charles Barkley)

• On What Makes Great TV:

  “People want personality…You’re not trying to connect with the football fan...You’re trying to connect with the girlfriend, the wife, and the kids.”
  (09:24, Charles Barkley)

• On Criticism:

  “Is the criticism fair? That’s the first thing you have to ask yourself.”
  (12:07, Charles Barkley, via Dr. J.)

• On Gambling:

  “Casinos make about 60-65% of their money from slot machines. Never play the slot machines.”
  (25:36, Charles Barkley)

  “Let me tell you something. I know if you get blackjack again... You’re totally full of [it].”
  (30:29, Charles Barkley)

• On Celebrity Encounters:

  “When you meet a celebrity and they're really, really cool, it's awesome. And it works the other way…But you don’t get mad—you’re just disappointed.”
  (23:45, Charles Barkley)

• On Pickleball:

  “Pickleball is the gift that keeps giving...My doctor friends are in heaven right now.”
  (36:18–36:59, Charles Barkley)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:16 – Opening blackjack banter with Charles
• 05:12 – George describes pregame family rituals
• 06:02 – Charles begins main guest segment, shares first impressions of George
• 07:15–08:34 – The “lottery of life” and joys of professional sports
• 09:24–10:25 – Charles gives TV/media advice
• 12:07 – On fair criticism and Dr. J’s advice
• 13:13–14:14 – Barkley's rookie cursing mishaps in broadcasting
• 16:10 – NFL predictions: Barkley’s case for the Eagles and Bills
• 17:42–18:52 – Double-covering football stars: Barkley baffles at NFL defensive strategies
• 21:08 – Shane Gillis call-in and comedian discussions
• 25:24–25:36 – The case against the slot machine
• 27:23 – The “shut your lips” gambling advice story
• 30:00–32:12 – Blackjack rematch and antics
• 34:01–36:04 – Barkley’s golf stories and overcoming the “yips”
• 36:18–36:59 – Pickleball as an injury “gold mine”
• 38:05–40:24 – “Game Ball” superlative segment

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Tone & Style

• Genuine, playful, and unscripted.
• Equal parts wisdom and humor, with ample space for digressions and storytelling.
• Barkley’s irreverence pairs perfectly with the Kittles’ down-to-earth, family-centric energy.

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For New Listeners

This debut episode captures everything promised by “The Kittle Things”: laughter, real talk, and the “little things” that make each day big. Whether you’re a football nut, NBA fan, casual listener, or gambling enthusiast, George, Claire, and Charles make you feel like part of the family—and leave you hungry for more stories.

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Transcript

[Charles Barkley]

Let me tell you something. I know if you get. Hey, I know if you get blackjack again. You told full. Totally full of.

[George Kittle]

I have blackjack.

[Charles Barkley]

See, that's. That's.

[George Kittle]

Hey, we'll run that back. Hold up. We'll run that one back.

[Charles Barkley]

That is total. That is total beginner's luck.

[George Kittle]

Ah, damn.

[Charles Barkley]

See, that's why that fake shuffle you did.

[George Kittle]

I do. I'm trying. Okay. You know, I'll shuffle them up again. That was. That was fun. Let's go to Vegas. Hey, guys. It's the Kittle Things, presented by T Mobile. What's up, guys? It's George and Claire. And we want to officially welcome you to the first episode of our new show, the Kittle Things. Today we sit down with the legendary Charles Barkley and talk about everything from football to gambling. Not together, though.

[Charles Barkley]

And.

[George Kittle]

And even play a little blackjack.

[Claire Kittle]

No matter what Charles says, it was not rigged.

[George Kittle]

It wasn't. Plus, we get a phone call from probably the only Birds fan who's funnier than Charles himself. You won't want to miss that.

[Claire Kittle]

But before we get into it, a quick word from our presenting sponsor.

[George Kittle]

T Mobile is the best network in the game and now the best network in America. It's coverage that keeps up wherever your route takes you.

[Claire Kittle]

And good coverage wins championships. Amongst other things, T Mobile helps keep you connected. Okay, so on the Kittl Things, we like to open with a segment called Today in KDL History, where we pull up a photo on this day, some random year.

[George Kittle]

Oh.

[Claire Kittle]

Engagement was August 10th. And our wedding was April 10th. How easy is that to.

[George Kittle]

A month to remember your engagement. Yeah. How do you.

[Claire Kittle]

I set that up for him.

[George Kittle]

Perfect for the. Anyone in the back that's married who remembers the day that they got engaged. The date. Remember the date. 1 for 2, 1 for 3, 2 for 4.

[Claire Kittle]

It's an important day. You should remember the date.

[George Kittle]

Anybody else?

[Claire Kittle]

It's another hard thing. It's like a birthday.

[George Kittle]

See how much I even loved you, too. Because I even.

[Claire Kittle]

At least the J's.

[George Kittle]

I'm in the Jordan 11 Easters.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[George Kittle]

That you also have a pair of.

[Claire Kittle]

I do.

[George Kittle]

See the nice. Look at me connecting the dots. I wear a pair of shoes that we both have. Wear them in the wet sand.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. That was a great day.

[George Kittle]

It was a great day. She fell for it. I told her there was going to be a photo shoot. She asked my mom. She's like, I think George is going to propose. My mom does not lie. She hates lying more than any. And except if she. If you ever hear my mom go girl scouts honor? She's lying.

[Claire Kittle]

She's probably.

[George Kittle]

She's definitely lying. 100 lying. We learned this. We learned this like two months ago. That's an instant lie, no matter what. Besides that she hates lying. And she just looked at her, she's like, oh, no. We talked about he doesn't have the ring yet. Claire's disappointed.

[Claire Kittle]

So I was like, you would know.

[George Kittle]

We had like a 45 minute drive down to the beach. And I could not have. I just could not have said less words.

[Claire Kittle]

He did not speak. He sat in the front and looked straight out the window the entire time.

[George Kittle]

Just trying to think of what two said. And I ended up not really saying a lot.

[Claire Kittle]

And then Jan was overcompensating for the silence and trying to, like, get everybody chatting in the car. And I was like, this is the best. I'm like, what's going on?

[George Kittle]

Could not have been any weirder, but.

[Claire Kittle]

It was the best. And it was on this sweet beach in California. And what happened the day before he got hurt?

[George Kittle]

We had a preseason game versus Cowboys, and I had a ball up the middle safety took out my knee. I sprained my mcl and I immediately fell on my shoulder and dislocated my.

[Claire Kittle]

Shoulder on the same side.

[George Kittle]

It was left knee, right shoulder. Yeah, that was a fun one.

[Claire Kittle]

So when he got back up out of the stance, it was literally like.

[George Kittle]

I was struggling, holding under my arm to get up. Oh, I was so angry.

[Claire Kittle]

And he was down there for a good bit too, because I was facing the other way at first.

[George Kittle]

Yeah, we had our t photographer there. He was taking photos of her. And like, I'm get down. And I'm literally there for probably 45 seconds to a minute. Please turn around. Please turn around. And he finally. Our photographer's like, hey, how about you? Like, turn around, Claire. What you don't see in the background is my mom crying, my sister there, and my dad is pulling my. Our dog Deanie out of the waves.

[Claire Kittle]

Because she just kept running to the water.

[George Kittle]

She was attacking the waves. That was pretty funny. Yeah, that was awesome.

[Claire Kittle]

And then boom.

[George Kittle]

Look at us now, Claire, do you know what time it is?

[Claire Kittle]

I think so, but why don't you tell me?

[George Kittle]

It's time for kittle bits brought to you by little Caesars. Today we're talking rituals. I've heard all about the best fan pregame rituals, like picking up a few hot and ready pizzas for the tailgate or having your favorites delivered right to your doorstep. Now it's my Turn to share the real deal on a few of my own rituals that get me in the zone because I always like to keep it real. Just like Little Caesars, because Little Caesar's is the real deal. One of my favorite pregame rituals that I do is before every game, me, my wife, my parents, and the rest of my family, we take a moment, kind of say a few words and things that we're thankful for and things that we're looking forward to in the game and try to speak some things into existence. And it's one of my favorite moments because it's just such an intimate moment there with my family around me and I can just feel the love and positivity supporting me.

[Claire Kittle]

And then we on game day started this thing now called the Push. He comes over and says hi to his family and me on the sideline and give him a kiss, you know, say good luck. And then I just give him this big old shove onto the field. And it's kind of like I'm inducing the first hit before anybody else gets to. So then he gets locked in after that.

[George Kittle]

She's giving me all of her violence for the game.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[George Kittle]

Hey, everybody. Our guest Today is an 11 time all star, a two time Olympic gold medalist, which I think is probably one of the coolest things that you could say. You could do the round mound, the round man of rebounds.

[Claire Kittle]

Round mound of rebounds.

[George Kittle]

There it is, a round mound of rebounds. The absolute legend himself, Charles Barkley. APPLAUSE.

[Claire Kittle]

Clap it up.

[George Kittle]

Everybody clapping. The whole crew is clapping for you, Charles. I made them start clapping for everyone.

[Charles Barkley]

You tell them I appreciate that. Hey, man, it was really. I'm glad to be on here and it was so cool to meet you last week. So, you know, people always ask me what I decide to do when it comes to media, especially when I'm not working. I says it's very simple. If I like somebody, I'll do their show, their podcast. But you know, you get so many requests, I'm like, no, I'm not doing everybody, but I like you. We never met before until last weekend. And you remind me of me when I played basketball. And what I mean by that is, when I watch you play football. Football and boxing are my two favorite sports. You have to be 100% invested or you gonna get killed.

[George Kittle]

Yep, yep.

[Charles Barkley]

But the reason you remind me of myself when I watch you play football, I'm like, that dude loves playing football.

[George Kittle]

I do.

[Charles Barkley]

And the one thing that I wanted people to understand, man, I loved playing basketball. I felt that I was so lucky and blessed to do something so stupid for a living. Make a lot of money.

[George Kittle]

Yes.

[Charles Barkley]

Because we are by far and away the luckiest dudes in the world. We're not like teachers, we're not like firemen, we're not like policemen, we're not somebody in the armed service. Dude. We hit the lottery of life. And all you gotta do is go out there and bust your hump. And when I finally got a chance to meet you last week, I'm like, hey, man, I really want to meet you this weekend. Because when I watch you play football, I know you love your job.

[George Kittle]

I do, Charles. And I always saw, like, I like you said, you're talking to young guys. I always tell the rookies, like whenever we like, our practice facilities are attached to our home stadium, Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. And so I walk in from the parking lot, it's like 6:30am, we're going in for meetings. And I always tell like a young guy walking next to him, like, how sick is it that your office building is a football stadium? Like you could be dealing with, like, you could have an injury, you could be dealing with off the field stuff, but like, you get paid to show up, sit in the meeting room, get taken care of at a really high level to go have fun in between the white lines, remember some plays and make some play. Like you have the best job in the entire world. You got to walk out every Sunday in front of 60 to 80,000 people in the stadium, tens of millions of people watching, and just play the game you've been playing since you were five years old. Like, you got to be kidding me.

[Charles Barkley]

And I'm on it, obviously now I'm just having fun, man. You know, I got this stupid TV thing. It's so. And my goal, I might go my whole life without having a real job. Like I'm on a 62 year old right now. And George, listen, let me tell you something.

[Claire Kittle]

That's a pretty good streak.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, I'm on a roll 62 years in a row. And George, let me tell you something, which obviously you're a great player, but with your personality, you're gonna get a TV gig the day you walk off the field. I mean, cause when you. Cause you know, people want personality, people don't. Because you can X and old people to death and they have no idea what a cover two or a cover one and things like that is. But if you got a great personality, you go, they gonna snap you up quickly. I tell guys, they always ask me for advice when they get on television. I says, you're not trying to connect with the football fan. You're trying to connect with the girlfriend, the wife, and the kids. So I always think about that when I'm getting ready to go on television. I says, I want a dude who's sitting with his wife or his girlfriend or his son or his daughter. I wanna make sure they enjoy the game. I says, the regular basketball fan, he automatic. He's easy. He's just gonna watch the game.

[George Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

I want people to sit with their kids and say, man, these guys make basketball fun. Charles and Shaq be going at it when. I love when those guys be killing each other. And that's when I meet regular fans. When they say that to me, I'm like, I'm doing my job.

[Claire Kittle]

Were you always that comfortable in front of a camera or you just jumped right in it? Do you remember any tips you got from someone that made you feel more comfortable doing it or asking questions?

[Charles Barkley]

My Rashad, Mike Wilbond, Brian Gumbel, the late great Greg Gumbo, they all been mentors to me. I said, they're like, charles, just be authentic. They know when you're being phony. And the hardest part, Claire, I don't wake up in the morning and say, let me criticize players. But when they play like. Or do something stupid, the fans just saw that.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

I can't get on TV and say, well, he played good. They're like, no, he did.

[George Kittle]

Especially today's day and age when, like, every single game now, it's not like 2000, when it's like, sports center top 10 was like, the only thing that you know. That's how you watch the games. If you missed it now, you got. You have all the social media platforms, like, every game, every play, anything happens, the whole nation, the whole world sees it like that. So it's like you can't. It's not like you're hiding it. It's not like you're doing exclusive digging on guys that try to find something bad about them. It just. It's reality. Say, hey, man, you got dunked on, and I'm going to talk about it. And then you walked back down the. Down the court and you didn't give any effort. Like, I'm going to. Fans are talking about it. That's what we have to talk about. It's not your. It's not my fault. It's your fault.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, and George, you hit on a really good point. The social media aspect has changed everything because their family members are tweeting Bad stuff. Like about you.

[Claire Kittle]

Good Lord.

[Charles Barkley]

And then all their followers jump in, so. But you can't. I don't. I never take criticisms personally because like when they call me, I'll explain why I said it to them.

[George Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

And then they might get mad for a second. I said, dude, just because one of your followers took it personally, don't overreact.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

You know, Dr. J gave me a great lesson back when I first started. Dr. J says, Remember one thing. Is the criticism fair? That's the first thing you have to ask yourself. Is the criticism fair? And he said, some guys are going to take shots at you just to get clicks now. He said, but the first question before you go off, I see I'm so old I didn't have social media platforms. I couldn't go back at him. I have to wait to see them in the locker room the next day.

[George Kittle]

So every show we do a thing and we call it like rookie mistakes. And so when you first started your broadcasting career after playing sports, do you remember like when you were first getting into it, like a, just a rookie mistake that you made, whether it was like live on air, getting ready for something, just something you look back like, ah, good thing I haven't done that again. And 15 years.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, I think the number one thing you have, like, George, I curse a lot in my everyday life because I hang with a bunch of old dude. That's all we do. Talk trash on the golf course. And there's a lot of always coming in and out. Yeah, because, because like I say, you know how the locker room is.

[George Kittle]

It's, it's fun.

[Charles Barkley]

Right. And that's the only thing you miss when you retire. But you still, you get a lot of extra tips. I spent, I mean, I'm not even joking. I have spent basically 100% of my life around dudes in the locker room. So my guy, Tim Kiley, who's the best ever, says to me every day before every show, don't curse, don't curse, don't curse. So I cursed like my first year probably five to seven to ten times. So that's probably the only thing. But other than that, I just try to have fun. Because going back to our earlier conversation and Ernie makes fun of me. Cause I said it before every show, right before when they start the 10 second countdown, I says, yo, man, it's just basketball. We ain't saving the world. I've said the thing, Claire, 25 years in a row.

[George Kittle]

That's great.

[Charles Barkley]

And it's the truth.

[Claire Kittle]

It is that's what the people love about you, by the way, though.

[Charles Barkley]

Like, thank you.

[Claire Kittle]

I like it. It's comfortable.

[George Kittle]

It is.

[Claire Kittle]

Everybody's yelling at the TV in their living room anyway.

[George Kittle]

All right, Charles, so we talked a lot about basketball, and I know that you are, like you said, you're a huge football fan, whether it's. You like to bet on the games, the players, the parlays. Do you have any predictions for this NFL season? Any teams that you think are going to, you know, have a really good shot to go out there and have some fun?

[Charles Barkley]

Well, if you. George, you don't know this. I'm a Big Bird fan.

[George Kittle]

You know, I know that.

[Charles Barkley]

So last year, I had the Bills beating my Eagles in the Super Bowl. So I came real close.

[George Kittle]

That's pretty good.

[Charles Barkley]

And people got mad at me last year because I said, not only are the Eagles going to beat the Chiefs, they're going to blow them out. And people went crazy. I said, let me tell you something. The Eagles, they're going to kill them. And I almost had the score right. I said, 45, 21.

[Claire Kittle]

Oh, my God.

[Charles Barkley]

I said, they're going to. They're going to. And. And I said, the Eagles got the best defense in the NFL.

[George Kittle]

Yep.

[Charles Barkley]

Vic Fangio going to get they going. He on a whole nother level right now. I think he was on a mission because I thought he got screwed in Miami with those renegades down there. I mean, they don't want to be coached. They just want to blame the coach. I'm like, the guy didn't because he's one of the greatest defensive coordinators ever. And all of a sudden, he gets down to Miami and the inmates are running the asylum. And I said, come on. Come on, man. I'm a big Josh Allen fan because I just think he's a great dude and a great player, but if you gave me a choice right now, I would take the Bills against my Eagles. The Bird's going to be really good again this year.

[George Kittle]

Yep.

[Charles Barkley]

But I tell you, man, the afc. The AFC is going to be crazy. But you know what, man? Saquon has been a godsend coming to Philly. Jalen. Hey, he just got to get it to A.J. he just got to get it to A.J. and Devonte.

[George Kittle]

Yep.

[Charles Barkley]

I forget the tight end's name right off the hand because he's a stud.

[George Kittle]

Dallas Goddard.

[Charles Barkley]

Yes. And he's a stud. So they. Man. But you know, the hardest thing is to repeat. Yeah, my. I think my Eagles will be fine, but the afc, I. I'm Telling the bill's gonna be great. Baltimore is gonna be great.

[George Kittle]

I mean, the. The whole. The whole AFC in West is kind of crazy. From the. I mean, Chiefs. Chiefs are gonna. Chief, you got the Broncos.

[Charles Barkley]

But you're right. I mean, you know, I. I have a. The Bengals, man, if they can fix that defense, I hope they pay. I hope they pay. That man. He's been a great. Yeah. Trey Henderson. Hendrickson, I think it is, right.

[George Kittle]

You. You can't fake 20 sacks, man. You can't fake 20 sacks. You got to pay the guy and.

[Charles Barkley]

You know, and he's the only good player on their defense. They had the worst defense in the NFL. And Joe is such a sad.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

Can you ask me a question? Answer. I'll ask you a football question. Why Chase always open?

[George Kittle]

I just don't think enough teams double cover him, dude. It's actually insane. You got to double cover him. Like, you got to treat him like he's Justin Jefferson. And some teams just don't. Like, we played him. I think it was Jamar Chase's is either his rookie year or second year, and I don't think he wasn't, like, a superstar yet, but, like, we just went, like, single coverage on him, and our corners still played him really well, and he still had, like, 100 yards and two touchdowns. I was like, can we just move a safety over on top of that guy, please? Because he's impossible to guard.

[Charles Barkley]

In my day, it was Jerry Rice.

[George Kittle]

Oh, Jerry.

[Charles Barkley]

And, and. And. And so I'm with Seth Joiner back in Philly, One of my great friends, Reggie Wright. Rest in peace, you know. And so I'm hanging out with these guys, Roy Green, one of my best friends from Arizona. And I'm like, yo, man, why is Jerry Rice always open? What the. Y' all can't. Y' all can't put two dudes on this dude. And they're like, it's not that simple.

[Claire Kittle]

You can't box.

[Charles Barkley]

It's damn simple, man.

[George Kittle]

Just take him out of there.

[Charles Barkley]

Like I said, Jerry Rice, I says, I'm sitting there watching. I'm like, why is the dude always open?

[George Kittle]

I. Whenever we play, whenever we play a team with, like, a really good player, I'm like, just don't let that guy beat us. Like, just make the whole other team beat us. Just don't let him beat us. And it's going to be a great day. Like, just.

[Charles Barkley]

That's the way I've always thought it makes sense. In my day. They're like, we're going to Double Charles and make the other guys beat us. And I'm like, okay, why can't y' all do that in football? Let's double Jerry Rice. You know, let's double Chase. Let's just double Justin. And then if the other guys beat us, like, I've had coaches say to me, hey, if y' all make some threes out of the double team, y' all gonna beat us, we're gonna shake your hand, but we're not gonna let you play one on one basketball.

[Claire Kittle]

Right?

[Charles Barkley]

And I said, I understand. Yeah, but like, I'm watching these other sports, I'm like, man, Chase is chasing Justin. They're always open. That drives me crazy.

[George Kittle]

I mean, when you have. Well, then you pair them like you. When you pair Chase with Joe Burrow, who's. I mean, there's like, you know, you have like, the top five echelon of quarterbacks when you pair those two together. And Joe can make any pass, too. It's like, Chase doesn't. Jabar doesn't even have to really get, like, open open. Like, if he's just kind of open, Joe throws him open. It's just like when you got that combo, it's like, all right, well, rush the hell out of the passer, double team him and make anybody else beat us, please. Goodness. And it's like, it's crazy how teams just struggle with that. It's crazy. Jordan, I do have one thing for you. So, because you're a Birds fan, and I knew that. Do you know Shane Gillis at all?

[Charles Barkley]

I just. I just met him in Atlanta like a month ago.

[George Kittle]

He. That's what he just told me. I. I called him a little bit ago.

[Claire Kittle]

He's like, charles is a man. I'll talk to him.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah. What's up, man?

[George Kittle]

We were just talking about NFL ball. Do you have any AFC teams that you think are going to do well this year? He picked the Bills. Who do you think is going to do well? I'll say the AFC west is pretty diabolical this year with the Chiefs, Raiders, and the Broncos. And the Chargers. The Harbaugh Chargers. True. The.

[Charles Barkley]

You know, the Bills is a good.

[George Kittle]

Ravens are always. Yeah, Ravens are scary.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know.

[George Kittle]

I don't know who else he picked. Bill's. He picked Bill's Eagles in the Super Bowl. That's what he just picked.

[Charles Barkley]

That would be wonderful.

[George Kittle]

Can we do. Let's do Bills. Let's do Bill's Niners. Just. That'll be more fun for me.

[Claire Kittle]

Say that.

[George Kittle]

Let's Just do that. You guys can go. Eagles can. When I retire.

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, yeah.

[George Kittle]

It's crazy.

[Charles Barkley]

It's funny when you're talking to an athlete.

[George Kittle]

I hope the Eagles win. You don't achieve your dreams.

[Charles Barkley]

No. Yeah.

[George Kittle]

No, I didn't want to do that at all. Thanks. Thanks, Shane. Oh, all right. You're the man. That's all I needed, man. You're a king.

[Charles Barkley]

Charles Barkley. Charles Barkley.

[George Kittle]

George, you guys.

[Charles Barkley]

Claire, also my best.

[Claire Kittle]

Love y.

[George Kittle]

Oh, I love him.

[Charles Barkley]

There's a dive bar in Atlanta that we go to after every show. It's about 2 o' clock in the morning. We go there after every show. It's called the Pub. And he walks in. We end up hanging out for like an hour and a half and we swapped numbers. I sent him a text the other night saying, good luck with the sps. So it was really cool. It was really cool to meet him, man. That was awesome.

[George Kittle]

No, it's funny. I met Shane. He's really good friends with Christian McCaffrey. And so we flew out like two, two years ago to North Carolina for one of his comedy shows.

[Charles Barkley]

And.

[George Kittle]

And so me, McCaffrey and Kyle Juszek are fullback. We flew out to North Carolina, went to one of his shows and he had a. He had a double header. So back to back, like show, 30 minute break show. We went to both shows and then we were in. I think it was. I think it was Raleigh, North Carolina, and we're just bar hopping in Raleigh, North Carolina, on a Tuesday night during spring break. So the most dead. The most dead college town of all time. It was us four, bar hopping. It was one of the funniest things I've ever been a part of because he's just a normal dud. Just happens to be funny.

[Charles Barkley]

As I got a couple famous comedian friends, it's like pulling teeth to have a conversation with them. You can just tell they're only funny when they're on stage. And I'm not going to call them out. They're nice guys. They're nice guys. But the only time they're like, normal is when they're on stage.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[George Kittle]

Yes.

[Charles Barkley]

And that's why I said I was kind of like, okay, should I walk up to this dude? And he was so normal and fun. We had a blast.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah, he's the best.

[George Kittle]

He's got some insanely funny mannerisms too. Just when he meets you for the first time, like just interactions. He's just such a unique, funny individual. Oh, my goodness.

[Charles Barkley]

Hey, George. Yeah. You know, there's two things that, you know, you, that I always tell people when you meet somebody and they're great. It's like the highlight. It's like, like. Cause it's very like, I wanted to meet Shane and he sit down with me and my boys for like an hour and a half. We had a great time. But when you meet a celebrity and they're really, really cool, it's like awesome. And it works the other way. When you meet a jock and they just a total. You're like, I'm still a fan of their work, but they're just an Yep. And, but you like, but you don't get mad. You're just disappointed because, you know, some people get tired of it. Yes. You know, they like. And I understand, you know, like, I got famous friends who are. They just get tired of it. It ain't. That doesn't make it right. But that goes back to what we were talking about earlier. That's part of the gig, man.

[George Kittle]

It is.

[Charles Barkley]

That's part of the gig.

[George Kittle]

It really is.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah.

[George Kittle]

Charles, so you've already spoken about gambling. I didn't do much gambling in Tahoe because I'm one of those guys that the closer the season gets, like, the less I do because, like, I, I like to sleep and stuff because I.

[Claire Kittle]

Have training camp and he has a slight anxiety.

[George Kittle]

I get that anxiety when training camp hits. And so, like, I like to go to bed at a good time and stuff like that. And I know that you were at the casino. My agent saw you at the casino. He texted me, like, at 1am One day. Was like, you got to get down here. Charles is a hoot. I know my guy Kelsey's down there. He always gambles. I like to gamble in Vegas. What's your, what's your choice of gambling? Because, like, I'm a craps guy. I thoroughly enjoy that. Or I'm sitting on a slot machine because I absolutely love slot machines for some reason.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, first of all, you should never play the slot.

[George Kittle]

I know, but I love it, dude. So fun.

[Charles Barkley]

You know, casino. I think casinos make about 60, 60, 65% of their money from slot machines. So never play the slot machines.

[George Kittle]

That's fair.

[Charles Barkley]

I, I, I, I, I don't like craps. I, I, I don't. I like crafts, but I dislike craps. Let me explain why. Because there's a random ass stranger at the other end of the table who I ain't never met in my life. Why should I bet on them? George, why now if I told you? Well, I can't just stand there until the dice come back to me.

[George Kittle]

That's fair.

[Charles Barkley]

So, yeah, so, you know, you got your guys and I'll bet on my guys, sure. But when the dice move, there's some Tom, Dick or Harry.

[George Kittle]

That's fair.

[Charles Barkley]

Or Claire that I've never met or I've never met in my life. And I'm sitting here thinking, if I bet on them and they roll out, I'm gonna be pissed. Like, why did I bet on Claire? I've never met Claire. I've never met Claire in my life. Why should I bet on her?

[George Kittle]

Dude, I feel that. Beginner's luck, man. That's what it's all about.

[Charles Barkley]

That's my theory on craps. But I played a lot of blackjack. This was a great. This. This was a great trip for me.

[George Kittle]

Oh, yeah?

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, I had a great trip. I hit him pretty good. So I had a great trip gambling wise.

[Claire Kittle]

Good.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah. So. And the good thing about it. So I get there on Wednesday night and leave Sunday night. So I was ahead the whole trip. That takes a lot of anxiety away on the golf course and the blackjack table.

[George Kittle]

It does.

[Claire Kittle]

There you go.

[Charles Barkley]

So we gamble first Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. But. So we get together after the round every day and go to the cigar bar. And I says, we, well, guys, I'm up quite a bit. What if I take a little bit and go down to the casino and y' all keep the rest and give me a little bit. And one of my friends says to me, I got a great idea. Why don't you put your top lip together with your bottom lip and shut the up? And I said, what? He says, if you put your two lips together and shut the up and not. We're not gambling tonight. We're up. We're up. Good. We're going to smoke for a couple hours. We're going to go have a really nice meal, and we're going to have say we had a great trip and all of us started laughing. He says, I said, you know what? That's a great idea.

[George Kittle]

That's a great idea.

[Claire Kittle]

And you went home with a lot of money.

[George Kittle]

You want to play a hand to blackjack, chop.

[Charles Barkley]

Yes.

[Claire Kittle]

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[George Kittle]

Maybe their wives.

[Claire Kittle]

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[George Kittle]

We have a shuffler here, Chuck.

[Charles Barkley]

How to know y' all didn't fix the deck?

[George Kittle]

I've never seen anything in this deck. I'm not a magician. I have no power.

[Claire Kittle]

Okay, cool.

[George Kittle]

All right. Shuffle it. You want me to shuffle it again?

[Charles Barkley]

No, I trust you.

[George Kittle]

All right. I. I have no idea what I'm doing. I couldn't tell you. Last time I played a hand of blackjack. You want me to deal? Chuck, there's your first card. There's my card. Your face up card is a king. I have an ace.

[Charles Barkley]

No insurance. No insurance.

[George Kittle]

No insurance.

[Charles Barkley]

You have to see if you got blackjack.

[George Kittle]

Oh, I got you. I got you. I have blackjack.

[Charles Barkley]

See, that's.

[George Kittle]

Hey, we'll run that one back. We'll run that one back.

[Charles Barkley]

That is total. That is beginner's lucky. That's why that fake shuffle you did.

[George Kittle]

I do. I'm trying. Okay. I'll. You know, I'll shove them up again. That was crazy.

[Charles Barkley]

Hey, let me tell you something. I know if you get. Hey, I know if you get blackjack again. You told functonery full of.

[George Kittle]

That was. That was fun. Let's go to Vegas. You're first.

[Charles Barkley]

Damn.

[Claire Kittle]

Damn.

[Charles Barkley]

Okay.

[George Kittle]

I got a nine.

[Charles Barkley]

I take a. Oh, Claire, what does ugh mean?

[Claire Kittle]

I don't know. I don't.

[George Kittle]

You want to take a hit?

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, I gotta. I definitely gotta take a hit.

[George Kittle]

You're at 16. I'm just. Yeah. You want to take another hit?

[Charles Barkley]

Yes.

[George Kittle]

Seventeen. I'm on. I got 19.

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, all right.

[George Kittle]

We'll play one more for all the marbles you win this. I'm on your guys podcast whenever you want me.

[Claire Kittle]

He is, anyway.

[Charles Barkley]

All right, brother.

[George Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

All right.

[George Kittle]

Your first card. My first card. Your first card. We got jack. I have a three. All right. Oh, you have 12.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah. This is one of the few decisions you have to make, actually. I'll take a hit.

[George Kittle]

Sixteen.

[Charles Barkley]

Okay. I'm good.

[George Kittle]

You're good. All right.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah.

[George Kittle]

I got eight showing higher. I got three and a five. We're going to hit. We won't.

[Charles Barkley]

Just pulling aces out your all of a sudden right now.

[George Kittle]

Dude, it's not me, man. It's Claire. She's the one. Well, welcome to the Claire and George casino where you lose.

[Charles Barkley]

Hey, good job shuffling.

[George Kittle]

It's not me, man. It's the cards. It's the cards. Oh, that was fun. Our only really connection was the ACC tournament. How long have you been at that ACC tournament?

[Charles Barkley]

30 years.

[George Kittle]

Holy cow. What's the best score you've ever got?

[Charles Barkley]

That was Friday, was my best round ever.

[George Kittle]

With the Eagle?

[Charles Barkley]

Yes, with the Eagle. I didn't play well. You know, I found out something last week that I need to work on. I need to place because I normally tee off like the last tee time of the day. When you play well, you have to tee off early in the morning.

[Claire Kittle]

Like 7:30 or something, right?

[George Kittle]

Yeah, those early tee times are tough. Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

So my tee time for the first time for like 10, 10:30 after I played my best round, they're like, chuck, you're teeing off like 8 o', clock, like 8 o' clock in the morning.

[George Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

And I was like, that's tough. Damn. But it was fun though. I had a great time. You know what's amazing? You know what's amazing about Lake Tahoe? It's the only place that's not hot as hell. This was my 30th straight year. And talking to all the celebrities. No matter where you're coming from in the country, Hot as hell. It's hot as hell. But it's always gonna be great weather in Lake Tahoe. This is my 30th straight year and it's always. The weather's perfect for 30 straight years. And it's always fun. You know, you play with somebody. Like this year I played with Nate Borgozzi.

[George Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

You know, and he's awesome. But what other chairs I'm gonna play golf with, Nate. Other than Lake Tahoe.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. Right. You know, that's cool.

[Charles Barkley]

So I play with somebody incredible every year. Like I become friends with Larry the Cable guy. We like to play. He's awesome. But we wouldn't play golf together in other. Any other landscape in life other than Lake Tahoe. Like I say you get to play with some people and everybody there is awesome. We've only had a couple celebrities who were like. And we're like, they gotta go.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. And now they're not there.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah. Because honestly, there's only probably 10 people trying to win a tournament.

[George Kittle]

Yeah. Like realistically. Come on.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah. The other 89. 80 people are there to have fun.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. Have you always been good at golf or did it take you some time?

[Charles Barkley]

No, Claire, I used to be really good at golf. Then I developed a yips for about 20 years or more.

[Claire Kittle]

No, you're over them now, though.

[Charles Barkley]

I'm over them now.

[Claire Kittle]

Okay, but.

[Charles Barkley]

But I did. I used to be really good in the early. But I had. I developed a nervous twitch, which if you go back and look online, it's funny for other people. It wasn't. Yeah, there you go, Georgie.

[George Kittle]

I've seen it.

[Charles Barkley]

And so, Claire, I've been to hell and back with my golf game.

[Claire Kittle]

Okay?

[Charles Barkley]

I did. I go back and look, I played one handed for a few years. I played lefty for a few years.

[Claire Kittle]

Why did you even do that?

[Charles Barkley]

And I met this guy named Stan Utley and he changed my whole life. So now I can have fun playing golf. You know, I recommend that you learn. You go take some lessons and learn.

[Claire Kittle]

To play golf, because let's just say I like golf a lot, but I need to do it more. I love a driver. I can drive it pretty well.

[George Kittle]

Claire. Claire takes my driver out of the bag and hits about 200 yards dead straight every time. It's pretty impressive. And then she gets to an iron and she goes, these things are stupid.

[Claire Kittle]

I'm like, can I just drive it again?

[Charles Barkley]

You know, it's something you. First of all, it's not. This is not directed towards you. There's not a lot you can do when you get old. And that's something you two gonna be able to do when he gets older. I mean, like, you can't go play basketball. I mean. And let me tell you something, they got this stupid thing going around called pickleball, which is the way old people are. Old people out here are getting hurt all the time.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah, it's like tennis.

[Charles Barkley]

My doctor friends have said pickleball is the gift that keeps giving. Because all these. All these old people are killing themselves and hurt all the time. My doctor friends are in heaven right now. Pickleball is the gift that keeps giving.

[George Kittle]

It's so dangerous. I know like multiple people who've like fallen, torn their ucl, fractured their wrist, acl, Achilles. I'm like, I am never stepping on that damn court. I'll be golfing and I'll be in the swimming pool. That's all I need.

[Charles Barkley]

I tell people there's a. Listen, there's a reason people quit playing sports because their body gives out. What make you think when you get older, you gonna Be out there trying to play. I guess it's kind of like pseudo tennis.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

What make you think you can be out there?

[George Kittle]

Yeah.

[Claire Kittle]

You're back and forth, shuffling and diving and lunging. Like. What? No.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah. My doctor friends call it the gold mine that keeps giving.

[George Kittle]

I love that. That's actually incredible. Oh, my.

[Claire Kittle]

That was awesome. Thank you so much. This was like a dream.

[George Kittle]

I appreciate you, Charles. You're the man.

[Claire Kittle]

Thank you.

[Charles Barkley]

It's my pleasure. Of course. Thank y' all for having me. Continued success. Claire. Nice to meet you.

[Claire Kittle]

Nice to meet you, too. All right, so we're gonna wrap it up with a game called Game Ball.

[George Kittle]

Yes.

[Claire Kittle]

Where we are gonna read off some superlatives and whoever it is most like, we are going to grab the ball and take it. And then we'll argue over if that person deserves the ball or not.

[George Kittle]

You're going to win. Who is the better student at Iowa Academic? All Big Ten four times.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah, I know.

[George Kittle]

Was that you? No.

[Claire Kittle]

Should we get into the details?

[George Kittle]

Sure. What was your gpa?

[Claire Kittle]

I don't remember.

[Charles Barkley]

George.

[George Kittle]

Thank you.

[Claire Kittle]

That is a cool accolade. Good job.

[George Kittle]

Thank you. Who is most likely to fall asleep during a movie?

[Claire Kittle]

Me.

[George Kittle]

Yeah. 100 I. Once the TV show or movie is on, I am finishing it.

[Claire Kittle]

I'm not.

[George Kittle]

I can't.

[Claire Kittle]

I'm falling asleep.

[George Kittle]

Literally. Can't help myself.

[Claire Kittle]

17 minutes.

[George Kittle]

Can't help myself. Who is most likely to order off of the kids menu?

[Claire Kittle]

I'll order butter noodles anywhere we go.

[George Kittle]

Or chicken tenders. Potentially.

[Claire Kittle]

But you will eat chicken tenders all the time too.

[George Kittle]

Or I'm. You will order off the kids menu.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. That's a normal butter noodles anytime.

[Charles Barkley]

Yes.

[George Kittle]

That's a normal thing. Who has the higher battery percentage on their phone right now?

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. Definitely me.

[George Kittle]

Never me. Don't ask me what my hours are. Who is in charge of the aux cord? Charge. I am in charge.

[Claire Kittle]

But he clicks it if I listen.

[George Kittle]

To too much edm. She asked me to change it once in a while.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. I do like it.

[George Kittle]

You do? Gotten better. Who is your dog? Deenie's favorite human. Let's take it.

[Claire Kittle]

I think it's me.

[George Kittle]

They spend more time together. She's her shadow. We'll have Deenie on an episode.

[Claire Kittle]

She's perfect. But she does follow me.

[George Kittle]

Deanie does. She shares her love pretty equally to everybody that has.

[Claire Kittle]

Yeah. There's nothing better. When you come home from work though, and she's just right at the door and just pees.

[George Kittle]

Right.

[Claire Kittle]

Like mom open the door.

[George Kittle]

She meets me at the door every day. Yeah, it's hard to beat. Who is your dog? Hobbs. Favorite human. That boy. Yeah. We run down to the barn every morning together.

[Claire Kittle]

He'll rough him up a little.

[George Kittle]

Yeah, he. He loves it. I think he. I don't know. It might be because I have long hair. That might be it. He gets excited. Could be it. Long blonde hair. Dang it.

[Claire Kittle]

Thanks for tuning in to another episode.

[George Kittle]

Of the Kiddle Things presented by T Mobile.