Charles Barkley Headed to Jail

Charles Barkley's arrest on charges of DUI and resulting suspension from TNT (not to mention T-Mobile temporarily dropping their spokesman) made huge media waves recently. Now Barkley is headed to jail.

Life of Sir Charles' Barkley

Retired NBA star Charles Barkley's career has been chock-full of colorful moments. Click through to see some classic "Sir Charles" memories.

NBA/Getty Images

Charles Barkley was arrested early on Dec. 31, 2008 for suspicion of DUI, after allegedly driving through a stop sign and refusing a breathalyzer. Barkley reportedly told cops he was rushing to hook up with a woman.

TMZ

Barkley, who played his college ball at Auburn, ripped his former school after it hired Gene Chizik as its new football coach. Barkley said he believed "race had a factor" in Chizik's selection over Turner Gill.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Barkley recently said that NBA superstar LeBron James, left, should just "shut the hell up" about possible free agency options in 2010. James responded, "He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that."

Getty Images

To one lucky student, "Sir Charles" was more like "Saint Charles." During a visit to an Italian restaurant last summer, Barkley struck up a friendship with a 28-year-old busboy named Christian Abate and offered to pay his tuition so he could finish college. "He's a nice kid," Barkley said. "He was working with kids, I loved that he wanted to be a teacher, and I wanted to help him."

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Politics? Why not? Barkley told CNN in October he plans to run for Governor of Alabama in 2014. Asked if he was serious, Barkley responded, "I am, I can't screw up Alabama."

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images

On the court, Barkley was frequently fined for fights with other players. In 1990, Barkley and Bill Laimbeer were each fined $20,000 (a record amount for the NBA at the time) for a fracas during a playoff game.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images

While Barkley was beloved by fans, he gained fame for his anti-role model stance. "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" Barkley said in 1993, which launched his famous "I am not a role model" Nike ad campaign.

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE/Getty Images

As a player, the fiery Barkley had a few run-ins with the law. He was once arrested for breaking a man's nose during a fight after a game with the Bucks, and he once famously threw a man through a plate-glass window after being hit with a glass of ice at a bar.

Orange County Sheriff's Office / AP

After retiring as a player, Barkley joined TNT's 'Inside the NBA,' where he has become the "butt" of many a joke. Literally. In one skit, Barkley was forced to kiss a donkey's posterior after losing a bet with Kenny Smith.

YouTube

According to TMZ, Barkley pleaded guilty today on charges of DUI and as a result will receive up to 10 days in jail.

Barkley just pleaded guilty to 2 counts of driving under the influence and pleaded "responsible" to running a stop sign for the December 31st incident in Scottsdale.

Barkley will begin serving his sentence March 21, but reportedly can have it reduced to five days if he completes an alcohol education program.

The 10 days initially given to Barkley as a result of his "guilty" plea are part of Arizona's minimum sentencing laws imposed for DUI. Oddly enough, Barkley's BAC of .149 was just 0.001 away from meeting the minimum requirement for an "extreme" DUI, which would have netted the NBA Hall of Famer a minimum of 30 days in the hole ... which is either very, very lucky or extremely "convenient."