Michael Jordan was nowhere close to the end of his peak when he decided that he would retire from the NBA at the end of the 1997-98 season. It was the season when the 5-time champions, Chicago Bulls, would be dismantled under the GM-ship of Jerry Krause. And MJ would make it a point to prove that he was going out by still being “the man” of the NBA. ‘His Airness’ went on a 3-week stretch that season, where he’d average over 40 points per game, and Charles Barkley’s Houston Rockets would be one of his casualties. Chuck would also reveal an ugly side of his best friend’s personality after that game.
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Barkley and Jordan were best of friends until 2012 when the Sixers legend, being an analyst, criticized MJ’s abilities as an owner and involvement in the front office with the Charlotte Hornets. But let’s dive into when The Round Mound of Rebounds put his stamp on something that fans always doubted.
“He stomps you when you’re down”: Charles Barkley once said of Michael Jordan
14 years before their friendship breakup, in 1998, the Bulls took on a Hakeem Olajuwon-less Rockets, led by Charles Barkley, to ascertain their dominance in the NBA. And with the form Michael Jordan was in, a victory for the Bulls was almost assured.
However, Jordan, with his 45-point annihilation, made sure Chuck and his team were down and out.
“If he beats you, he lets you know. And he stomps you when you’re down,” Barkley told after the game, according to ‘Michael Jordan: The Life’ by Roland Lazenby.
MJ wasn’t the only one chirruping in that game, though. Throughout that game, MJ and Chuck went against each other, both verbally and physically. Jordan might have been the instigator, but who could hold back Barkley when it came to talking?
“Charles is not Charles with his mouth shut. That’s like me playing… with hair,” Jordan hilariously said after the 106–100 Bulls win in which Chuck led the Rockets in scoring with 35 points.
Jordan used to give Barkley expensive gifts before their breakup
Barkley and Jordan had a good friendship outside of basketball. The two would often hang out in Vegas because of their mutual love of gambling and golf.
They even played golf during the NBA Finals of 1993 where the Bulls were playing Barkley’s Suns. Future billionaire Jordan would also gift Chuck diamond earrings during that series. Knowing Jordan, you know there must have been some hidden motive behind a $20,000 gift.
