On Season 10 of Shark Tank, retired NBA basketball star and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley serves as guest Shark (October 28). In his Shark Tank video profile Barkley talks about being raised in Leeds, Alabama by his mother and grandmother. He said his childhood was great and that he didn’t know his family was poor. After playing in the NBA for 16 years, he retired and got into broadcasting. He says “You have to be really careful when you get money because you get 50 to 60 business proposals a month.” He adds, “I have been very lucky that I got screwed right off the bat: my first agent stole my money. And from that point on I’ve been very judicious in what I invest in.” Barkley reminds viewers that 80 percent of professional athletes go broke.
Today, Barkley says he prefers to invest with minorities – blacks and Hispanics, “because I believe they have the hardest time getting money” and he says he wants to “help poor whites too who don’t have economic opportunity.” Fellow Shark Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks) complimented Barkley after filming the episode: “He’s got a good eye for the personalities in a business.” Cuban added, “His ability to see what a person is like, whether or not they can be a great entrepreneur was really impressive.” New episodes of Shark Tank air Sundays at 9 pm on ABC.
