Charles Barkley told Shannon Sharpe recently he almost tried cocaine when he was younger.

The revelation took place during an appearance on Sharpe’s podcast “Club Shay Shay.”

The temptation to do cocaine had everything to do with his now-deceased brother, who he described as a junkie. “I ain’t ever had something so strong that I would give up the NBA and all my money,” Barkley said.

Barkley’s brother Darryl died of a heart attack in 2009 at the age of 42, after struggling with substance abuse problems. Darryl was clean at the time of his death, Barkley said, but “there was so much damage to his body. It just gave out.”

His brother’s tragic death weighed on Barkley – and his mother – for years.

“It broke my mother’s heart,” he said. “It broke my heart for a long time.”

It was his brother’s addiction which made Barkley curious about cocaine.

“I almost did cocaine one time because I put my brother in a bunch of rehabs,” Barkley explained. “I talked to one of my boys and said, ‘I want you to get me some cocaine.

“He said, ‘Charles, you (expletive) nuts.’”

The NBA analyst and former Auburn star simply wanted to see what it was that had a hold on his brother.

Watch the interview above.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.