Barkley, Vick Name Their “Sportsman of the Year” Picks


Philadelphia athletes Charles Barkley and Michael Vick have given Sports Illustrated their nominations for the magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” award. Barkley’s pick: Tennis champ Andy Murray, of course, for reasons that may soon become apparent. “Think about it: Murray is one of the four or five best players in a 10-year period and he happens to playing against three of the best players ever. So when he finally got over the hump, I was so happy for him.” As for Vick, his pick was Olympic gold-medalist Gabby Douglas. “There’s always pressure in anything that you do, just in life in general. So to be competing in a sport you practiced all your life, sometimes that pressure seems to go away and you’re able to deal with it on a different level, so it almost becomes fun. That’s what I saw during the Olympics, when Gabby won gold medals in the individual all-around and team competitions. She was ready.” [Sports Illustrated]