Mark Jackson recalls hilarious Charles Barkley betting story which left him unnerved in David Stern's presence

Long before Mark Jackson was the coach of the Golden State Warriors, and was credited with being the man to help unlock Steph Curry's full potential, he was an NBA player. After a successful collegiate career at St. John's, Jackson was drafted 18th in the 1987 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. It was there that he spent nearly 20 years in the league, playing for a wide range of teams.

Because of his longevity, Jackson competed in a number of different eras, including the era that saw Charles Barkley take the league by storm. In one instance, he and Mark Jackson were going at one another, talking trash and giving each other buckets on both ends of the court.

After the closely contested game, Mark Jackson was blindsided by an NBA reporter's question. According to Barkley, the pair had bet on the game. Jackson then panicked after getting an invite t NBA HQ from NBA Commissioner David Stern.

He and Barkley hadn't been gambling with money, but rather talking trash in the context of the game. During a recent episode of the Mark Jackson Show he recalled the situation:

"We're in the commissioner's office, and the commissioner's like, there's no betting in basketball. It will not be tolerated. I'll throw you guys out the league. ... 'How dare you guys even insinuate that you're betting?' I'm like, this is my second year. I ain't make that kind of money.

"He says, ... 'I'll be right back with my decision.' So I'm sitting there, Charles Barkley All-Star superstar, and it's just me worried about my future. While the commissioner leaves out the room, Charles Barkley looks at me and goes, 'I bet you he won't throw us out.'"

Looking at Charles Barkley's love of gambling amid Mark Jackson story

Much like his former friend Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley's love of gambling has been well documented. Sometimes that's placing wagers on sports, other times it's gambling at casinos.

In other instances, Charles Barkley can be found on the golf course, where much like Michael Jordan, he loves to place a good wager on how things will play out. Between his playing career, and his post-NBA career, Barkley has estimated that he's lost $1 million in a day 10-20x.

While he may not have been gambling with Mark Jackson in the story told on the Mark Jackson Show, it's clear that the former NBA superstar loves to bet. As he indicated in an interview with Graham Bensinger back in 2016, he even gave up gambling for a time.

According to the Chuckster, his gambling habits got out of control and he quit for about two years.

"I probably won a million about 5 or 6 times. But I have lost a million somewhere about 10 to 20 times, I can't get an exact number because it's going back to the '80s."

As he also explained, it's not so much that he loves the action of gambling, he simply enjoys winning money and the feeling that comes along with doing so.