Dwight Freeney boosters include NBA legend Charles Barkley, who marvels at his durability

Dwight Freeney’s career bounce-back has caught the attention of a lot of people this season, including the “Round Mound of Rebound.”

Turns out, NBA legend Charles Barkley is a big fan of the Atlanta Falcons defensive end, his neighbor in a posh condominium tower in downtown Atlanta.

While Freeney was being interviewed in the lobby of that building last week, Barkley stopped by to congratulate him on making it to Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots.

“Obviously, he’s been a fantastic player,” Barkley said of Freeney, who is in his 15th season. “The thing that I marvel at is the way he’s been able to extend his career. You talk about two guys, him and [38-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end] James Harrison, how they’re able to take care of their bodies. What people understand is you don’t do this stuff when you get older, and you don’t play at a high level.”

Freeney turns 37 this month, the same age Barkley was when he finished his basketball career with the Houston Rockets in 2000.

Some football players use the analogy of two elevators when talking about aging in their sport. As the physical elevator goes down, the mental elevator goes up.

“I don’t believe that,” said Barkley, who recently underwent a double hip replacement. “Your mental does go up, but you can’t do it because your reaction time slows down. It’s so funny, you tell your body something like, ‘Grab that flower.’ And there’s a hesitation. Like five years ago, you’d just grab it. But when you get older, it’s like you have to repeat it in your mind to yourself.

“It hurts. It hurts a lot. We’ve all been great or good at our sports our whole life. And when you can’t do it quickly, it’s frustrating and it’s hard.”

Barkley said he’s most impressed with the way Freeney mentors younger players and said that process is akin to parenting.

“This thing ain’t easy,” Barkley said of being a professional athlete. “If you don’t have mentors that help you navigate this minefield … we’ve seen it hundreds of times, guys crash and burn. There’s guys I’ve tried to help who have crashed and burned, who wouldn’t listen.

“I try to tell people, one thing about pro sports, it’s the same movie. I’ve been in the league 30 years. It’s the same movie, just different faces. I can say, ‘Oh, he’s going to make it,’ or, ‘He ain’t going to make it.’ Young guys have got more money now, and that makes it even harder.”

Added Barkley: “I tell these kids, ‘Get your education, man.’”

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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