Right Winged: 7 Surprisingly Conservative Celebrities

3. Charles Barkley

Charles Wade Barkley, a former American professional basketball player, nicknamed “Sir Charles” and “The Round Mound of Rebound,” established himself as one of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA’s) most dominating power forwards. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. After competing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and several awards, Barkley started to shift gears towards his political aspirations.  Barkley spoke for many years of his Republican Party affiliation and in 1995, he considered running as a Republican candidate for Alabama’s governorship in the 1998 election.  He did not run but in September 2006, Barkley once again reiterated his desire to run for Governor. He noted, “I can’t run until 2014 … I have to live there for seven years, so I’m looking for a house there as we speak.” Recently, however, Barkley declared himself an Independent.