Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, who were teammates on the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics, are on the path to repairing their friendship after a 14-year spat. The two NBA stars were also close friends and enjoyed playing golf together.
Their relationship was damaged after Barkley criticised Jordan’s role as owner and head of basketball operations of the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) over a decade ago.
Barkley’s Criticism Sparks Fallout
The problems began in 2012 when Barkley said on ESPN Chicago’s Waddle & Silvy show that Jordan may not have hired enough people around him who he would listen to. Barkley felt that those around Jordan may not disagree with him because he pays their bills. He added that he loved Jordan, but felt he had not done a good job.
Jordan, unsurprisingly, did not appreciate the comments. In 2020, Barkley noted that their relationship hadn’t recovered.
“The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years,” Barkley said six years ago. “And I do… I feel sadness. But to me, he’s still the greatest basketball player ever. I wish him nothing but the best. But there’s nothing I can do about it, brother.”
Reconciliation on the Horizon
Barkley said on Chris Russo’s Mad Dog Unleashed on SiriusXM on Friday that the two have started talking again and will play golf after the NBA season. “We had a conversation,” Barkley said. “We’re going to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over.”
Russo noted to Barkley that Jordan was mad at him. Barkley insisted the issues weren’t that deep.
“We’re not like Prince William and Prince Harry,” said Barkley, who is on “Inside the NBA” on ESPN. Jordan is a minority owner with the Hornets, whose season ended Friday night in a play-in loss to the Orlando Magic. “We always had a lot of love for each other. But we talked, actually, in the last probably 72 hours. We decided to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over.”