Charles Barkley was one of Michael Jordan’s closest friends during his NBA career. Despite being adversaries in the era, Barkley and MJ shared a relationship off the court.
The pair were golfing buddies and had a close bond with each other. But it hasn’t been that way for years, as Barkley discussed on ’60 Minutes’ that MJ couldn’t handle criticism about his tenure as Hornets owner from Chuck.
“And what I said, I think that he doesn’t have enough people around him that are gonna tell him, ‘No.’ And 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, John. You can be great at something but that doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk… He got my number.”
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
Barkley is extremely honest about everything, and it really wouldn’t be fair for him to give MJ a pass for his ownership of the Hornets. Given MJ is possibly going to sell his majority stake in the team, there will be an avenue of reconciliation after MJ isn’t responsible for the basketball aspects of the Hornets.
Michael Jordan’s Time In Charlotte
Barkley was right to criticize MJ’s run as owner in Charlotte. Jordan was a phenomenal player and an example of greatness in this sport, but he may be the exact opposite as an owner.
He saw his team regress back into being lottery fodder after one of the best seasons in recent memory was ruined by a disastrous offseason. In the years prior, MJ has a troubling track record, missing most of the draft picks that the team has made over the last decade and a half. The best player that’s come through the system is Kemba Walker, not a shining example of what the Hornets have produced under MJ.
Hopefully, the sale allows him to leave the ownership business almost 10 times richer than what he spent to get the team in the first place. If this bone of contention between Barkley and Jordan is removed, the road to reconciliation may be open. But after over a decade of not being friends, it doesn’t look like either is rushing to repair this broken bridge.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
