Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were well-known rivals during their basketball careers, but they were also close friends off the court. Over time, their friendship faded, and Barkley has sometimes talked about what caused the rift. Now, he’s revealing more details about the moment their friendship ended, including a difficult phone conversation they had late one night.
Charles Barkley has always been open about how a few on-air comments led to a falling out with Michael Jordan. During a recent interview on the YouTube show The Tom Tolbert Show, Barkley explained that he shared what he believed were clear truths about his former friend, and that’s what started the distance between them.
I stated that I didn’t believe Michael would achieve success, because I felt the people he surrounded himself with weren’t good at judging talent, and he needed a stronger team. I also pointed out his lack of success as a general manager. These are simply established truths.
Despite a long-standing rift between Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, one sports commentator is still hoping to reconcile them.
After retiring from the Chicago Bulls in 1999, Michael Jordan took on a management role with the Washington Wizards, becoming their President of Basketball Operations and a part-owner. He eventually returned to playing for the team before retiring for good in 2003 and being relieved of his executive position. In 2006, he became a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, and in 2010, he made history as the first former player to become the team’s majority owner. He later sold his controlling interest in the team in 2019.
Similar to Charles Barkley, other commentators questioned some of Michael Jordan’s choices as a business leader. Barkley later told Tom Tolbert that Jordan called him shortly after his on-air comments, and was very upset.
He called me late that night and was furious, accusing me of betraying our friendship and doing something unacceptable. I explained that I was just doing my job, and pointed out that he hadn’t been performing well as a general manager. I told him I couldn’t hold others accountable while letting him off the hook, and that I criticized everyone’s poor decisions, including his. He then unleashed a string of curses at me, and we haven’t spoken since. It was really tough, because I considered him one of my closest friends at the time.
Charles Barkley has spoken about his strained relationship with Michael Jordan, describing Jordan as a brother but suggesting he needed better influences around him. Barkley, a co-host on Inside the NBA, believes their ongoing distance is due to both of their strong personalities. When asked if they could reconcile, Barkley simply stated that Jordan knows how to reach him.
You know, despite everything, I’ve seen Charles Barkley say some really nice things about Michael Jordan over the years. He’s even admitted himself that Jordan was the better player – which takes a big man to say! And apparently, MJ gave him some good career advice too. It doesn’t seem like Charles and Michael will ever be close again, especially with that whole thing with Scottie Pippen still going on. But hey, you never know what could happen, right? Things change!
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2025-12-24 05:41