Once best friends, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan are no longer communicating. The beef started with Sir Charles calling out the Chicago Bulls legend for the way he hires people for the Charlotte Bobcats where he is a principal owner. He criticized Jordan for hiring his friends and ‘kiss-asses’. That was enough to break the friendship.
Jordan appreciated Barkley’s straight-forwardness and knew he would get an honest answer from him. But, when it came to criticizing him for the way he manages the Bobcats, it didn’t bode well with the six-time champion. Barkley said he does not have much hope that the two legends could reconcile.
“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 said on Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN 1000, per Nick Friedell.
“The thing that bothered me the most about that whole thing, I don’t think that I said anything that bad,” Barkley said. “I’m pretty sure I said, ‘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.’ And I remember pretty much verbatim I said that. And the thing that really pissed me off about it later is Phil Jackson said the exact same thing.”
