Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan have had a strained relationship for many years now. Yet, Barkley always recalls the good times with his friend Jordan very fondly. In his recent appearance on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, Barkley narrated a hilarious story about playing cards with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Scottie Pippen.
“It was crazy. You know, the best thing about it, the guys were so cool. We got along so well. We had so much respect for each other. Now, the practices were crazy. We’re trying to kill each other because a lot of egos are going on out there, but man, we had so much fun.”
“I mean, the guys, the guys were so much fun to be around. Like, Magic, Michael, me, and Scottie played cards every night for three, four, five hours— Michael tries to buy the pot. He didn’t realize we were all rich. Like, okay, we all got money, dude. Yeah. He always tries to buy the pot. Like, ‘I’mma raise you.’ Like, we got money, too, fool.”
“But that was so much fun. We went through a couple of cases of beer every night. Larry Bird and Patrick Ewing became great friends. We made up shirts, Harry and Larry. I mean, they became great friends, man. It was so cool.”
Barkley led all scorers for Team USA at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, averaging 18.0 points per game. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan averaged 14.9 points per game. Yet Barkley felt Jordan played better than him. Other legends like Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, and Chris Mullin also contributed by averaging double-digit scoring in those Olympics.
(1992) Michael Jordan, Ahmad Rashad, Patrick Ewing, and Larry Bird drinking beers together in Barcelona.
Legendary. 🍻 pic.twitter.com/FQAR2GzBAA
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) May 26, 2024
Barkley goes on to recall how Chuck Daly motivated the Dream Team to “kill” their opponents, saying it would be the “biggest upset” in sports history if Team USA did not win gold that year. So while the team was focused on killing their opponents on the court, they had their share of fun off the court.
A photo of Michael Jordan playing table tennis while Larry Bird drinks beers in the back iconically summarizes the combination of work and play that the Dream Team did on this trip to write their names in Olympic history.
Larry Bird enjoying some beers while Michael Jordan plays table tennis. (1992)
Happy Birthday Larry Legend! pic.twitter.com/d0lYHLnGcC
— Hoops Nostalgia (@HoopsNostalgia) December 8, 2020
Now, nearly three decades after Jordan and Barkley led the Dream Team in 1992, the duo, who were once close friends, no longer speak to each other. Barkley and Jordan still indulge in gambling in their ways.
This story from Barkley not just symbolizes how outrageous Michael Jordan was in his prime days, but also shows how all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and Team USA did not pick ‘dull boys’ for their Dream Team; they picked ruthless killers who worked hard but played harder.
