NBA legend Charles Barkley has supplied his most detailed account up to now of how his long-standing friendship with basketball icon Michael Jordan got here to an finish, pointing to a single televised critique that sparked a everlasting rift between the two Hall of Famers.

Appearing on the Tom Tolbert Show, Barkley mirrored on the second he publicly criticized Jordan’s report as an NBA government, a task Jordan held for greater than a decade whereas main the Charlotte Hornets group. Barkley stated the feedback, delivered throughout his work as a tv analyst, prompted an instantaneous and intense response from Jordan.

“He called me that night and went ballistic on me,” Barkley stated. “He said, ‘You supposed to be my best friend and you’re going to do that bullsh*t?’”

Barkley defined that the disagreement stemmed from a battle between friendship {and professional} duty. As a broadcaster, he felt compelled to judge Jordan’s tenure actually, notably amid ongoing criticism of the Hornets’ draft selections, roster building, and restricted postseason success throughout Jordan’s management.

“I told him I have to do my job and you haven’t been a good GM,” Barkley stated.

According to Barkley, the reason solely escalated the scenario. What started as a cellphone name rapidly grew to become the ultimate alternate between two gamers who as soon as shared an in depth bond.

“He cursed me out up and down,” Barkley stated. “And we have not spoken since that night.”

Charles Barkley Says Friendship With Michael Jordan Ended Over GM Analysis

The feedback provide new readability on a fallout that has lingered quietly for years. Barkley and Jordan have been as soon as inseparable figures of the NBA’s golden period, linked by fierce competitiveness and mutual respect as they helped elevate the league’s international profile all through the Nineteen Nineties. Their friendship prolonged past the court docket, constructed on shared experiences and private belief.

Barkley emphasised that he stands by his remarks, sustaining that honesty defines his position in sports activities media. On the present, he framed the second as an unavoidable consequence of transitioning from participant to analyst.

“I have to do my job,” Barkley repeated, making clear he didn’t intend the criticism as a private assault.

Jordan, broadly recognized for his aggressive depth and sensitivity to criticism, has by no means publicly addressed the cellphone name or Barkley’s account. The absence of public response has bolstered Barkley’s perception that the connection ended that night.

The story underscores the challenges former gamers face when evaluating friends in public roles. For Barkley, talking candidly carried a private price. For Jordan, the criticism seems to have crossed a line that might not be repaired.