Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan aren’t friends anymore, but the former doesn’t hesitate to give his former pal credit wherever it’s due. The past several years have seen Barkley not only talk up Jordan’s skills on the basketball court but also defend him from Scottie Pippen’s criticisms. His Airness came up during another discussion that Barkley had just recently. Interestingly enough, the conversation prompted the Round Mound of Rebound to recall the moment he had to admit to himself that Jordan was the better player.
Although it’s been said that Charles Barkley’s co-workers would get nervous over his appearances on The Dan Patrick Show, I love them. That’s because the outspoken Barkley won’t hesitate to share brutally honest takes on his broadcasting career, NBA tenure, personal life and more. During Barkley’s latest interview on the show (which is available on YouTube), he admitted to Patrick that, years ago, he thought he was better than Larry Bird, MJ and more. His thoughts on Jordan changed, however, after a certain event in 1993:
I did not think Michael Jordan was better than me until he beat me in the Finals. Because, when I was in Philly [with the Sixers], we had success against [the Chicago Bulls], and then they got good and then they beat us in the playoffs one year. But I thought it was just because he had some better players around him.
The ‘90s was a golden age for the NBA, as various teams were led by dominant players. Michael Jordan and the Bulls truly emerged during that decade, and the Suns became a true force after Charles Barkley joined them in 1992. At the time, Barkley was eager to prove that he was the best player in the world and, as he said during the interview, he predicted to his teammates at training camp that they would meet the Bulls in the Finals. Of course, that happened but not as Barkley assumed it would:
I remember going home after Game 2, my daughter was upset, crying. We lost the first two games. I said, ‘Just relax. We’re gonna be fine, but I gotta tell you something. I ain’t never said this in my life. I think that guy may be better at basketball than I am.’ And I said, ‘But I think I’m better, and we’ll be fine.’ Then we win Game 3, lose Game 4, win Game 5, come home for Game 6. My daughter, I said, ‘I told you I think I’m the best player in the world, and I’m gonna prove it.’ Then they beat us, and I remember telling her, ‘I ain’t never said this to you before, that guy’s better at basketball than me.’
Over the years, Charles Barkley has discussed the 1993 NBA Finals on other occasions. He also talked about that postseason series during the docuseries The Last Dance (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). Barkley later admitted that he enjoyed watching the Emmy-winning show but said that reliving his team’s loss in the Finals brought up a “bad memory” for him. Nevertheless, he gave the Bulls credit for the work.
It’s honestly a shame that the Jordan/Barkley friendship is over, and I really feel that way whenever Barkley shares positive thoughts about his old buddy. Nevertheless, Barkley doesn’t seem keen on mending fences, given that he himself – by his own admission – is stubborn. Sports journalist Michael Wilbon is supposedly in charge of bringing Barkley and Jordan together again, but I’m not sure that’ll happen. In the meantime, I just appreciate the level of respect that Barkley has for his ex-comrade’s basketball-playing skills.
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