Here’s the beef that ended Michael Jordan’s friendship with Charles Barkley originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Michael Jordan is holding another one of his famous grudges.
The Chicago Bulls legend has a storied history with Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley. After coming into the league together in the 1984 draft and winning gold in Barcelona on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, the pair developed a close friendship that prevailed past their playing days.
On Sunday’s episode of “60 Minutes,” Barkley said he hasn’t spoken to his former friend in years.
“Michael disagreed with something I said, and he broke off the friendship,” he told CBS’s Jon Wertheim.
In an interview with Bleacher Report in 2022, Barkley said the beef began when he publicly criticized Jordan’s ownership the Charlotte Hornets on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” On Sunday, he further outlined why the two no long talk.
“I said, ‘I don’t think he’s gonna have enough people around him that are gonna tell him no,'” he said. “And he got really offended, and we haven’t spoken since.
“I have zero credibility if I criticize other people in the same boat and not criticize my best friend.”
When asked if he’d ever pick up the phone to apologize, Barkley said that being great at basketball doesn’t give Jordan “the right to be a jerk.”
“He’s got my number,” Barkley said.
