Michael Jordan may have been retired for almost two decades, but the Chicago Bulls legend remains one of the most popular athletes in the world. He is considered the GOAT of basketball, and it’s only natural that fans look up to him.
So much so that many even considered Jordan, their role model. But are NBA players really role models? Well, MJ’s longtime rival Charles Barkley once did a commercial where he made it clear that NBA players are not role models.
In the commercial, Chuck said instead of looking up to him, kids should look up to their parents. Barkley got a huge backlash over these comments and even revealed that he’s probably the only person in the world who got in trouble for telling kids to listen to their parents.
Michael Jordan Agreed With Charles Barkley’s Stance On NBA Players Not Being Role Models
Without Jordan, the NBA would have never been this popular around the globe. So it’s obvious that he holds a lot of influence over people who follow the league. After retiring from the league, MJ once sat down for an interview with GQ.
In the interview, he talked about several things, including the fact that he agrees with Barkley’s stance on NBA players not being role models for kids.
Via GQ:
For instance, when he came out and said, “I’m not a role model.” I realized we’re really not. We assume that responsibility because of the respect we’re given. But we can’t tell these kids they can be us. When he first came out with that, I was like, “Wow, he’s right.” Because your parents are your role models, or your grandparents or your aunt.
Mike revealed this when he was asked about Barkley having the leverage of saying things that he could never do. If the face of the NBA said something along the same lines, it would mean a lot of trouble for the league. But at the end of the day, the two legends only wanted to make it clear that kids should consider their parents as their role models.
