Michael Jordan was must-see TV back in the 90s. Even when he wasn’t playing basketball, and just shooting pool with Charles Barkley!
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Ever since he was drafted third overall in 1984, Michael Jordan has been one of the best. With his competitive drive and skills to boot, he was destined for greatness.
Indeed, greatness followed. MJ finished his 15-season career with a plethora of awards and achievements that propelled him into the GOAT debate.
Six NBA Championships, five MVP awards, six Finals MVPs, a DPOY award, 10 scoring championships, 14 All-Star appearances, and 11 All-NBA selections are no easy feat!
▫️ 6x NBA champ
▫️ 6x Finals MVP
▫️ 5x NBA MVP
▫️ 14x All-StarHappy 59th birthday to the legend himself — Michael Jordan. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/tqR3vXYUBt
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 17, 2022
With a resume like that, it comes as no surprise that people are enamored with His Airness. That includes when he’s playing a game of billiards with his friend Charles Barkley.
Charles Barkley recalled how 100 fans stared at Michael Jordan while they played billiards
When you are a big icon, it’s normal to have fans come up to you and ask for your autograph. However, there are some icons who leave their fans awe-struck.
One of those players was and is Michael Jordan. Perhaps the most iconic figure in basketball history, MJ leaves most of his fans star-struck when they meet him.
In fact, Charles Barkley told a story of how hundreds of fans just stopped and stared at the two of them while they played a couple of rounds of billiards!
“He was in Phoenix and we would go out and play pool all the time. We would rope off an area. It’d be like 100 people just standing behind the rope just staring at him all night,” Barkley said. “It was unbelievable. He’s the only person where people will just stand back and stare. We had to rope off an area. They’re just staring at him shooting pool.”
Safe to say, Chuck wasn’t a big fan of being cordened off while playing pool, but what can you do when you’re playing with one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Also Read: How Dennis Rodman molded his game, from a 8.1 ppg scorer to rebounder, for Michael Jordan’s Bulls