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Michael Jordan’s notoriously competitive nature meant he wasn’t the friendliest guy on or off of the basketball court during his playing career. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t form some pretty solid relationships with a few of his fellow players.
MJ may have enjoyed making life difficult for Charles Barkley on the hardwood, but the two men who played alongside each other on the Dream Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics still had a pretty solid bond thanks in no small part to their love of gambling and golf.
However, as most basketball fans are likely aware, the two men had a falling out around 10 years ago that made for a very awkward moment at the star-studded 75th Anniversary ceremony the NBA held before the 2022 All-Star Game.
Last year, Barkley said he was willing to reconcile with Jordan after revealing the G.O.A.T. has been giving him the silent treatment for over a decade thanks to some comments he made concerning the manner in which he’d handled his business as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets.
Now, we’ve gotten some insight into the conversation that marked the start of that grudge courtesy of the retired big man.
Barkley recently sat down with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson for an episode of All the Smoke that featured a segment dedicated to what appears to currently be a fairly one-sided feud, and he revealed the details of his final phone call with Jordan after the aforementioned criticism came to the latter’s attention.
Here’s what he had to say:
“He called me and the last thing I heard was ‘Motherf–ker, f—k you. You’re supposed to be my boy.’ And I said ‘Man, I’ve got to do my job.’
We haven’t spoken since that night and that was probably close to 10 years ago.”
Barkley once again stressed he’s ready and willing to reconcile, so it seems like the ball is decidedly in Jordan’s court.