"No state income tax and the titty bars don't close" - Charles Barkley's supposed reason for joining the Houston Rockets

After spending four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Charles Barkley never planned on returning to the squad in the 1996 offseason, saying he felt treated like sirloin and the front office "destroyed" the team. Wanting to continue competing for a championship while he could still play at a high level, "Sir Charles" demanded a trade to a contender.

He eventually landed on the Houston Rockets , who were a year removed from securing back-to-back titles and still had Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler on the roster. While those are defensible reasons to want to go to Houston, Barkley seemed to have some other motivation, according to Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times.

"That was Charles Barkley's line about why he later went to Houston," Heisler said of Houston being a big party city. "I think he said, 'No state income tax and the titty bars don't close.'"

Work hard, play hard

Of course, the quote is not officially attributed to the former MVP. However, the fact that a good number of civilians and netizens have shared stories of seeing Barkley in strip clubs or gentlemen's clubs, it wouldn't be surprising if Heisler's memory proves accurate.

Still, despite his extra-curricular activities, the Hall of Famer knew when it was time to work. He had a successful debut season with the Rockets, scoring 19.2 points per game and hauling in 13.5 rebounds per contest, his highest average boards since he led the league in that department with 14.6 in the 1986-87 campaign.

The Rockets came close to booking a trip to the Finals for the third time in four seasons. But a game-winning buzzer-beater from John Stockton in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals eliminated Barkley and Co.

Houston's allure

The following campaigns saw the 11-time All-Star hampered by a variety of injuries. Perhaps not having to pay income tax and being in a city that was heavily considered the strip club capital of the world alleviated some of his pain.

Interestingly, Barkley wasn't the last superstar to be enamored by Clutch City's culture. James Harden had also gained notoriety for frequenting strip clubs. One of the most popular joints in the city even reportedly retired his jersey shortly after he joined the Rockets over a decade ago.

Since Harden left, no star of his or Chuck's caliber has been linked to the franchise again, largely because of its lack of team success. But now that it is taking the necessary steps to become a playoff contender again, big-ticket free agents or trade targets might start choosing the Rockets again. Maybe the absence of income tax and 24-hour strip joints would serve as a bonus.

Related: Michael Jordan's daughter said her dad only allowed Air Jordan shoes in his house: "By the next day, they were in the trash"