"That's how I clean my glasses" - Charles Barkley once showcased his filthy habit on national TV

Charles Barkley always finds ways to entertain the public on Inside the NBA. However, Barkley sometimes does something cringy like that one time when he showed how he cleans his reading glasses.

In an episode of Inside the NBA back in January 2022, the studio cameras caught Barkley cleaning his glasses. While usually people would use the cleaning cloth to make things clear, the Chuckster licked the glass before wiping the entire thing.

Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith laughed at the filthy habit but Barkley hilariously defended his actions.

"That's how I clean my glasses," Barkley said. "I need to be able to see. It's more important for me to see than worry about hygiene. I can't do anything without you filming it."

It should be noted that reading glasses is not the only thing he cleans using his saliva. In April 2018, the camera crew of Inside the NBA caught Charles Barkley licking his phone. Barkley once again defended his actions by saying that's how he does it every time.

According to scientists from the University of Arizona (h/t Reader's Digest), a phone is likely ten times dirtier than most toilet seats. It usually has more than 17,000 bacterial gene copies on its surface alone, so it needs to be cleaned regularly with a cleaning solution and not with saliva.

"Your phone is exposed to everything you touch," Whoosh! product manager Adriana Catinari said.

"What's on your hands is on your phone. Healthcare experts stress that washing your hands frequently with soap and water is the best defense against the spread of germs that cause sicknesses and viruses to spread."

Luckily, for Barkley, Whoosh! CEO Jason Greenspan sent a bunch of their products to help him clean his phone better.

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Charles Barkley signs new contract with TNT

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley had previously hinted about retiring by age 60 or once his contract with TNT expires.

Barkley also teased about joining LIV Golf, but nothing materialized. All of that might just be a ploy, as the Hall of Fame forward signed a new nine-digit deal with Turner Sports last October.

According to Fox Sports, Barkley's deal is worth around $158 million and will last for 10 years. It could reach a whopping $317 million depending on future television deals. For what it's worth, Barkley earned an estimated $40.6 million during his NBA career.

Barkley remains one of the most entertaining people in sports commentary. The rest of the Inside the NBA crew also signed long-term extensions, which means they will be on television for the foreseeable future.