Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley are very good friends, going back from the time they shared touches in Chicago when Jordan landed in Windy City to change the Bulls’ history. Even though they are very close, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t go at each other on the court.
Oakley became a crucial player on the New York Knicks that faced Jordan many times in the NBA playoffs. They didn’t think twice to trash talk one another, and some interesting things were said during those exchanges.
During a recent appearance on Showtime’s ‘All the Smoke,’ Oakley talked about his encounters with Jordan on the court. Close as they were, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to destroy each other and Jordan didn’t mince words when attacking Oakley.
Charles revealed that Jordan used to pick on him, telling him he was in the wrong timeline since the Bulls were winning it all while he was on a different team.
“MJ used to always say you were born at the wrong time. He always said it, he was f**king around. So I used to tell him ‘You’re glad David Stern is your next-door neighbor! That’s why you get all the calls.”
That’s a big comeback from Oakley. Many rivals thought that Jordan, as the face of the NBA, was often favored by referees, and the NBA commissioner was behind those decisions.
The Oak Tree was a very intense and physical player who didn’t hesitate to inflict pain on rivals. He was probably thinking about sending a message to MJ during those times, but knowing how privileged Jordan was sometimes, he was better off just barking at his former teammate.
Jordan was a legendary trash talker and these stories confirm that, but Oakley wasn’t less than the GOAT. He was ready to fire back whenever somebody tried to disrespect him.
