Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley: There's No Friendship Anymore.

The NBA has seen its fair share of romances. Who can forget the banana boat crew of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony. Still, in the world of basketball, few friendships were as iconic as that between Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. Both Hall of Famers shared a bond that transcended their on-court rivalry. However, this friendship, which spanned over two decades, came to an abrupt end in the early 2010s, leaving fans and analysts alike wondering what went wrong. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley both entered the NBA in 1984, with Jordan being selected 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls and Barkley being selected 5th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. The two became the biggest stars in the league in different aspects. Jordan was the most popular and loved player. From his high-flying slam dunks to his game-winners and tongue-wagging style, everyone wanted to be like Mike. Barkley, on the other hand, became sort of the villain of the league. He was a brash, talking bruiser who wanted no part in being a role model. Both stars' level of fame became legendary, especially in the 1990s. The iconic 1992 Team USA Dream Team had big names on it. This includes Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Despite these huge names, it was Barkley who emerged as the Dream Team's best player during the Summer Olympics. Barkley led the team in scoring with 18 points per game, while Jordan was second with 14.9 The two met in the NBA Finals the following season when Barkley joined the Phoenix Suns and Jordan's Bulls won their third straight title after defeating Barkley's Suns in six games. There were rumors going around during the 1993 Finals that Jordan and Barkley went golfing together, which is something the two often did, but it was said Jordan took Barkley golfing to flutter him up, hoping Barkley would go easy on him. Barkley recently spoke about the rumors, stating they were false. Barkley played at an MVP level during the NBA Finals, including dropping 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists triple-double in Game 4 of the series. The problem was, in the series, and in particular that same Game 4, Jordan just outplayed him as he dropped 55 points in Game 4. Yes, Barkley was the best player on the Dream Team, and he beat Jordan out for the MVP award during the 1992-93 season, but when it came to winning championships, Barkley could not overcome Jordan's greatness. Jordan went on to win six championships and retired for good in 2003, while being known as the greatest player of all time. Barkley, on the other hand, never reached another NBA Finals and retired in 2000. Despite never winning an NBA championship, Barkley had a great career. His post-playing career may be even better, as he joined TNT's Inside the NBA crew in 2000. Barkley has become the face of the show and has even won five Sports Emmy Awards for It was because of his time on Inside the NBA that would ultimately end his friendship with Jordan. In 2010, Jordan bought a majority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, making him the first former player to outright own the NBA franchise. As a player, Jordan appeared to do no wrong, but as an owner, Jordan wasn't finding as much success. It has been said that Jordan liked to surround himself with his friends or people who'd always say yes to him. This didn't sit well with Barkley, as he knew this wasn't a formula for his success. What I said, I think that he don't have enough people around him that are going to tell him no, Barkley said, and he got really offended and we haven't spoken. Barkley also gave insight on what Jordan last said to him before MJ started giving Barkley the silent treatment. He called me and the last thing I heard was, mother fucker, fuck you, you're supposed to be my boy. I said, man, I gotta do my job. We haven't spoken since that night. Jordan has always been known to take things personally. Who can forget Jordan's ongoing beef with Isaiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons? Or when Sports Illustrated put out that famous issue of Jordan missing the pitch while playing baseball with the caption, bag it, Michael. That issue came out in March of 1994 and Jordan hasn't spoken to Sports Illustrated since. So it doesn't come to much of a surprise Jordan would hold a grudge against Barkley for his comments. But still, Barkley wasn't just some TV commentator. He was one of Jordan's closest friends, so it is a bit odd they haven't made up. Since the friendship breakup, both sides have not attempted to make amends, even when they were in the same room together, like at the 2022 All-Star Game for the NBA's 75th anniversary team celebration. Barkley doesn't believe he should be the one to apologize, and rightfully so. He was doing his job and speaking on his beliefs as he's done on many other basketball topics. That's why TNT pays him the big bucks. I'm going to do my job, Barkley said, because I have zero credibility if I criticize other people on the same boat and not criticize my best friend. You can be great at something, but that doesn't give you the right to be a jerk, Barkley continued. He's got my number. It's a shame the two NBA legends haven't been able to put their differences aside and become friendly again. It would be great for the entire NBA community to see two of its biggest stars become the friends we all remember them to be.