Michael Jordan was a maniac on the basketball court; nothing could stop him from getting what he wanted the most, which was a win. MJ would do whatever it took to win in every aspect of life. He was also a bit of a sore loser, as legendary NBA Head Coach Chuck Daly found out when he beat the GOAT in a game of golf. And Jordan wasn’t just incredible on the court, he tried everything he could to ensure his victory off the court as well.
MJ tried to destroy his opponents mentally, doing everything within his power to make them feel like they couldn’t beat him. Even in games that weren’t consequential, Jordan would talk smack to his opponents, trying to break them while cooking them with the ball. There were a few stars in his generation that were great but did not win a ring. Charles Barkley was probably the greatest example of this.
Michael Jordan Bought Charles Barkley A $20,000 Diamond Earring During The 1993 NBA Finals
Barkley and Jordan were good friends throughout their careers, although that ended after a while. Their relationship is now so bad that others have suggested that the two will never reconcile with one another. But when considering the story former Bulls assistant Johnny Bach told, it’s perhaps easy to see why the relationship likely wasn’t going to last. Barkley and MJ faced off in the 1993 NBA Finals, and Jordan did what he could to get a competitive advantage over Chuck (via Bleacher Report).
“The day before Game 4 of the Bulls-Suns Finals with the Bulls leading the series 2-1. Michael and Charles Barkley went golfing. They played 48 holes of golf. And Michael bought Charles a $20,000 diamond earring. Johnny asked MJ, ‘What did you do all that for?’ Michael responded, ‘He won’t get in my way the rest of the series, what’s $20,000 to me? Charles thinks we’re great friends. I hate that fat f**k.’ Jordan dropped 55 in Game 4 and Barkley never touched him once.”
This is an intense story and one that goes to show just how ruthless Jordan was when it came to winning. The GOAT didn’t care all that much for friendships, he just wanted to get the job done. Surely, the gift mentioned in the story wouldn’t have made Charles Barkley play any less hard, but it’s an example of what lengths His Airness was willing to go to.
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.
