NBA legend Charles Barkley shared a story about his longtime friendship with Michael Jordan, recalling how the Chicago Bulls icon once helped him deal with a disappointing playoff elimination.
Barkley revealed that Jordan called him in the middle of the night following a loss during his time with the Houston Rockets and arranged to pick him up on a private jet just hours later.
The former NBA MVP discussed the incident while reflecting on his relationship with Jordan, which eventually deteriorated after Barkley publicly criticized his approach to basketball management.
“You know, Michael was my best friend for a long time, and I said, ‘Michael, I love Michael like a brother.’ I remember the show very, very well. So I’m sitting there, and we were talking about the job he was doing. I said, ‘I love Michael like a brother, but he’s never going to be successful as a general manager as long as he’s hiring only his friends.’”
Barkley explained that he believed Jordan needed people around him who were willing to challenge his decisions rather than simply agree with him because of his status.
“When you’re famous, the number one thing you’ve got to do is surround yourself with people who hold you accountable. But when you’re Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley or any famous person, most of the people on your payroll, they’re flying around in your private jet, you’re buying all the drinks, you’re buying all the dinners, so nobody’s ever going to tell you no. Ever. So you have to surround yourself with people like, ‘No, man, maybe you shouldn’t do that. Maybe you’ve had too much to drink.’”
Despite their later disagreement, Barkley recalled how close the two were during their playing careers.
He described receiving an unexpected phone call from Jordan around 3 or 4 a.m. after the Rockets had been eliminated from the playoffs. When Barkley admitted he was upset about the end of his season, Jordan offered to take him golfing.
“So I lost one time, and I’m playing for the Rockets, and Michael calls me about three or four in the morning. He says, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Nothing, sitting here sulking. We lost last night.’ He said, ‘I’ll pick you up in four hours.’ I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘I’m coming to get you. We’re going to go play some golf. The season’s over. You need to get away.’”
According to Barkley, Jordan followed through on his promise and arrived at a nearby private airport four hours later.
“And in four hours, he picked me up at the private airport right by my house on his private jet. And I get on there, and Darrell Walker’s on there, and he said something I’ll never forget. He says, ‘We can’t mess this up.’”
