Charles Barkley vows to go on hunger strike until Lakers win

By RYAN GORMAN

A Hall of Fame basketball player once nicknamed the "round mound of rebound" has vowed to go on a hunger strike until the Los Angeles Lakers win a game.

Charles Barkley made the surprising pledge Thursday night on TNT's "Inside the NBA" following another Lakers loss. The team has begun the season with five straight losses, its worst start in nearly 60 years.

Superstar Kobe Bryant scored 39 points Thursday night for the Lakers, but the team still fell 112-106 to the Phoenix Suns, one of Barkley's former teams.

The 0-5 start for Los Angeles is the team's worst since the 1957-58 season, when it still played in Minneapolis.

The Lakers nearly always make the playoffs and are often considered championship contenders. The awful start caused Barkley to make his now-infamous boast.

"I'm going on a fast," said the former Olympian. "I'm not gonna eat again until the Lakers win a game.

"I'm telling you, I'm not gonna eat another meal until the Lakers win a game."

Host Ernie Johnson quickly pointed out the Lakers do not play another game until Sunday.

Barkley then joked he would drink only water with cayenne pepper and lemon juice until the next Lakers win.

His weight has often been a topic of discussion among fans and the media, but this latest stunt may be more effective than even the Subway diet made famous by Jared Fogle.

"I could die!" Barkley joked.

Sunday's game is against the Charlotte Hornets, a floundering team with only two wins.