Having been friends with Michael Jordan and hanging out with Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley surely has plenty of stories to tell about these two legends. The former player-turned-analyst has revealed some of these anecdotes whenever he’s had the chance, sometimes sharing juicy secrets.
Back in 2014, Chuck revealed that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were really cheap people. Contrary to him, they usually don’t like to tip, which has raised some eyebrows around MJ’s circle. NHL GOAT Wayne Gretzky once had to teach him how to tip in Las Vegas, so you know Jordan had a different mentality.
During an interview with Conan O’Brien, Barkley opened up about this, calling out Jordan and Pippen for being frugal.
Via Sports Illustrated:
“There’s nobody cheaper than Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan,” Barkley said. “Oh yeah, [Jordan is] cheap. I always give homeless people money and he will always slap my hand [and tell me], ‘If they can ask you for spare change, they can say, ‘Welcome to McDonald’s, can I help you, please?'”
The subject came up when Barkley was asked about his own tipping habits.
“I think it’s important when you’re successful, the waiter, the waitresses, the blackjack dealers, they work extremely hard, they don’t get a great salary,” Barkley told O’Brien. “The more successful you are, the more you should tip, I truly believe that. … I never went overboard. I tipped $25,000 before. I won about $700,000 at a blackjack. You have to tip. I probably should have tipped more to be honest with you.”
Even though he’s not a fan of Jordan’s actions when tipping, Chuck admitted that may be the reason why he stayed rich and increased his money every year:
“I think that’s why [Woods and Jordan are] rich,” Barkley quipped. “They don’t tip. That’s their secret to being rich, they don’t tip.”
It’s well known that Jordan isn’t that quick to give money away. Once he smacked Barkley’s hand when he attempted to give money to a homeless person, saying that he could get a job at McDonald’s instead of asking people for spare change.
However, when it comes to his friends, Jordan doesn’t hesitate. He once took Barkley on a flight after a big loss, trying to cheer him up. Even though they’re no longer friends, the memories they had when they were are incredible and these stories are the biggest proof of that.
