Charles Barkley Says Michael Jordan 'Went Ballistic' in Conversation That Ended Their Friendship
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley revealed some new details about the explosive conversation between him and Michael Jordan that ended their once-close friendship years ago.
During an appearance on All The Smoke, a podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Barkley, 59, said it's up to the former Chicago Bulls icon to decide whether or not they'd be able to mend their friendship.
"That would be on his end," Barkley told Barnes of any "light at the end of the tunnel" for their relationship.
Barkley told the podcast hosts that Jordan, 59, "went ballistic" during the conversation after their initial disagreement, which Barkley told Taylor Rooks stemmed from a comment Barkley made about Jordan's ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats, now the Hornets.
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"He called me and the last thing I heard was 'Motherf—er, f— you. You're supposed to be my boy.' I said 'Man, I gotta do my job.' We haven't spoken since that night."
According to Barkley, it has been ten years since that conversation.
Barkley described Jordan as his "best friend at the time," before their falling out. "I love the guy and miss the guy, but I gotta do my job," the NBA on TNT analyst explained, adding, "I think I'm fair to everybody."
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Barkley claimed his comments that upset Jordan were criticisms of how the NBA legend was running the Bobcats. "I said I don't know if he's ever going to be successful because of the people around him. I think he hires too many of his friends."
A team of yes-men "don't ever tell you no," said Barkley. "The hardest thing about being famous is that you're paying all the bills, they're on your private jet, and they're not going to tell you when you're doing something wrong."
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Jordan became a part owner of Charlotte's NBA team, which are now the Hornets, in 2010. Since Jordan became involved with the team, the Hornets have put up an average record, with few postseason triumphs.
In December, Barkley had said he'd be open to moving on from the feud with his former best friend. "I probably would say, 'What I said, I believed. I'm sorry you took offense to it. And let's get past this bulls—t and get back to playing golf and having fun," Barkley told Rooks for Bleacher Report.
