Have you seen Charles Barkley lately? The played once dubbed "the Round Mound of Rebound" looks terrific, right? Ever since the NBA Hall of Famer became the spokesman for Weight Watchers' "Lose Like a Man" campaign, he has lost 38 pounds (and counting). Barkley has been going on shows like "The Daily Show" and "Conan" to endorse the program. Judging by his svelte -- by Barkley's standards -- figure, the program is working.
Barkley is so pleased with the results that he can't really believe he's getting paid to drop a few pounds. While calling the TNT broadcast of Thursday night's Heat-Hawks triple overtime game with Reggie Miller and Kevin Harlan, Barkley was caught during a commercial break mocking his endorsement deal.
"I've been on weight watchers three months. I have to lose two pounds a week. I'm at 38 pounds now. They come and weigh me every two weeks. I ain't never missed a weigh-in. Never going to... I'm feeling much better. But I ain't giving away no money. I'm not giving away no free money. I thought this was the greatest scam going -- getting paid for watching sports -- this Weight Watchers thing is a bigger scam."
Barkley wasn't mocking the actual program, because again, it has clearly worked for him. He was simply pointing out that getting paid to have people help you lose weight is basically stealing money. Of course, some would say that Barkley is more than earning his pay from Weight Watchers compared to frequently overweight and consistently underperforming Heat reserve center Eddy Curry, who was yet to play for the team this season. After the short-handed Heat escaped with a win in Atlanta, coach Erik Spoelstra revealed that Curry is close to be cleared for physical contact. Maybe Barkley should put him in touch with his contacts at Weight Watchers. They would certainly show they deserve their paychecks if they could turn around Curry.
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UPDATE: Both Charles Barkley and Weight Watchers have released statements on Barkley's comments.
WEIGHT WATCHERS: "We love Charles for the same reason everyone loves Charles, he's unfiltered. We are thrilled that he is having great success and inspiring millions of men to join him. We agree that being a spokesman for Weight Watchers is a pretty great gig."
BARKLEY: "I meant what I said, the fact that I'm dropping pounds, getting healthier and getting paid at the same time, is my definition of a great scam. The only problem is I'm going to have to use some of the money to buy a new wardrobe."