Charles Barkley was extremely talented and he was very confident when he joined the Phoenix Suns in 1992. Back then, Barkley thought he was the best player in the world and that he could win an NBA Championship with the right supporting cast, just like Michael Jordan did.
“I said, ‘We’re going to the Finals.’ They said, ‘How do you know that?’ I said, ‘Cause I think I’m the best damn player in the world.’ I said, ‘Michael Jordan’s just better than me because he’s got better players. I’m playing with bums in Philly’,” Barkley recalled on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast.’
Barkley kept his word and led the Suns to the best record in the league in his first season with the team, and he even won the NBA MVP award.
As Barkley predicted, the Suns reached the NBA Finals, but they had to face the Bulls, who had won back-to-back NBA Championships. Barkley wanted to prove that he was the best player in the world, but the Bulls were too much for Suns and won the series in six games.
The End of Barkley’s Friendship With Jordan
Years later, Barkley also lost Jordan’s friendship. Barkley and Jordan entered the league in the 1984 NBA Draft and had many epic battles. The two NBA legends respected each other and became friends off the court, but over time, Barkley’s criticism of Jordan’s decision-making as Charlotte Hornets’ owner allegedly caused an irreparable rift.
Barkley regrets losing his friendship with Jordan. He’s always been outspoken as one of the most popular NBA on TNT analysts, but he went a bit far with Jordan and it cost him a lot.
The exact reason why Jordan and Barkley aren’t on speaking terms is not clear. Jordan is a private person; he’s never addressed what happened. As for Barkley, he’s discussed the issue in many interviews and podcasts over the years.
Barkley appeared on the ‘Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray’ podcast and discussed his issues with Jordan.
“Michael Jordan, losing his friendship was probably the most prominent thing that’s happened to me. But I was being honest about what I thought. I said, ’Listen, the toughest thing about Michael, he’s got to put better people around him.’ Because the toughest thing, when you’re famous, they’re on your private jet, you’re buying all the drinks, you’re buying all the dinners. Very few people are gonna be honest with you,” Barkley explained.
“I try to surround myself with people like, hey, if I’m screwing up, please tell me. And Michael got offended about something I said about him. And we haven’t spoken in probably almost 10 years. And he was my best friend at the time. And I love the dude like a brother and we’re both stubborn and we haven’t talked,” Barkley concluded.
