Once upon a time, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were best friends, almost like brothers. But after Barkley said some harsh things about Jordan as an executive of the then Charlotte Bobcats franchise, things got sour between the two legends. And even up to now, Barkley is not optimistic that things will be back to normal between him and Jordan.
Speaking on Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Tuesday, Barkley admits he feels ‘sadness' that his friendship with Michael Jordan may never be the same again. Per Nick Friedell of ESPN:
“The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years. At least 20-something years. 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.”
Barkley recalled exactly what he said that essentially destroyed his friendship with MJ: ‘As much as I love Michael until he stops hiring them kiss-asses, and his best friends, he's never going to be successful as a general manager.'
Barkley believes that his unflinching honesty is what made him and Jordan great friends. For Barkley, if you're a world-famous celebrity, only a few of your friends will be completely honest with you.
“But I thought that was one of the reasons we were great friends. Like, ‘I can ask Charles anything and I know he's going to give me a straight answer.' But part of my job [as an analyst] is, because I can't go on TV and say ‘Another general manager sucks' and then just because Michael's like a brother to me say ‘He's doing a fantastic job.' That would be disingenuous.”
Chuck revealed that MJ still has his number and can call him anytime. But the phone hasn't ringed yet. And Chuck is not expecting.
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