Barkley says he got fat out of spite after Rockets gave him less money

Charles Barkley claims he packed on the pounds during his last season with the Houston Rockets as revenge for the team giving him less money than promised.

The NBA legend made the revelation Wednesday on Bill Simmons' new show, "Any Given Wednesday," though it didn't make the episode's final cut.

"The only year that I was fat was my last year in Houston, because they had promised me $12 million," Barkley told Simmons, according to Jordan Heck of Sporting News. "When I showed up, the contract was only for $8 million. And I said, 'What happened to my other $4 million?' They said, 'Well, we just decided to keep it.'"

Barkley said he took a pay cut during the previous season so Houston could sign Scottie Pippen, but only did it because he was promised the $12 million. When he found out his contract was for $4 million less, he said, he started eating out of spite.

"They said, 'We'll give you $12 million next year.' So when I showed up the next year, they bring me a contract. I said, 'This looks like an eight.' They said, 'Yeah, we're going to give you $8 million,'" Barkley recalled. "I said, 'What about the other $4 million?' They're like, 'Well, we just changed our mind.' So I wasn't motivated."