Photo Credit: AP Photo/John Swart
Despite their many similarities, and larger-than-life personalities, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship over the years. From their early days as teammates on the 1992 Dream Team to their more recent public disagreements, the dynamic between these two basketball icons is a fascinating one to explore.
While Jordan and Barkley were best friends for the longest time, despite their on-court rivalry, when Barkley criticized Jordan’s management of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2012, Jordan took it as a personal attack.
Then, Jordan fired back at Barkley, questioning his own credentials as a commentator and analyst, which led their relationship to deteriorate.
During an appearance on 60 Minutes, Barkley now went into detail about the feud that ended his friendship with Jordan, while also saying that the ball of resolving their dispute is in Jordan’s corner now.
“And what I said, I think that he don’t have enough people around him that are gonna tell him, ‘no’. He got really offended, and we haven’t spoken….
… I’m gonna do my job, because I have zero credibility if I criticize other people in the same boat and not criticize my best friend. I got an ego too, Jon. You can’t be great at something ― that doesn’t give you a right to be a jerk.”
Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were best friends until Barkley criticized Jordan’s management of his NBA team. The friendship ended, and they haven’t spoken in years.
“He’s got my number,” said Barkley, who refuses to be the first to apologize. https://t.co/r7Ggg5tsWI pic.twitter.com/C6CjDQB6uj
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 27, 2023
