Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley haven’t spoken to each other in over a decade, and the reason why is a bit puzzling.
At one point, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were friends, Olympic teammates, and just got along well with each other. Then everything changed.
Barkley criticized Jordan’s current situation within the front offices of Charlotte and said that Jordan needed to surround himself with better people if he was going to be as successful as a league executive as he was a legendary player. Jordan took offense to it, and the beef has gone on since.
What Barkley said was true, and it wasn’t inappropriate. If Barkley had crossed the moral line or said something out of bounds and beyond an apology, then Jordan would have every right to stay away, and no one would blame him. In this case, it’s pettiness and doesn’t have to be so personal.
Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley’s beef seems ridiculous
Barkley wants to get past this and move on and try to reconcile, but Jordan doesn’t seem to be that kind of person. He still feels hurt by this “attack.” Jordan must believe Barkley was wrong, but what’s not wrong is that the Charlotte Bobcats hold the record for the worst NBA season in history (7-59 in 2011-12).
While things are looking brighter now thanks to the play of LaMelo Ball, back then, the franchise was in complete disarray, and not even the one year of making the playoffs and losing out to LeBron James and the Heat could remove the stench.
We can only hope that someday, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley can mend fences and settle their differences as Shaq and Kobe once did.