“Always Great to Play Against Charles Barkley”: When Michael Jordan Praised Former Friend After Dropping 45 on His Rockets

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley might have had one of the closest friendships in NBA history. The duo could often be caught hanging out together, sometimes even when they were playing against each other in the playoffs.

However, unlike what many speculated, their friendship off the court didn’t hinder their competitive spirit on it. The two superstars often engaged in back-and-forth trash talk, with Barkley often getting booked for his reckless conduct.

Something similar happened on the night of January 18th, 1998. The Bulls were hosting the Rockets at home, and the battle was one for the ages. Michael and the Bulls were favorites entering the competition, while the Rockets didn’t quite understand their underdog status.

Charles and The Rockets brought the heat from the tip to Michael and The Bulls. In fact, things got so heated, that Barkley even started jawing at the refs. After a no-call, which saw Michael leaving the play scot-free, Barkley began protesting. After things got a little heated, Charles let the refs know his true feelings towards their officiating, exclaiming,

” That is a foul. I know he is Michael Jordan.”

 

Jordan who was standing around a foot away heard Barkley’s comments, as he further tried to rile Barkley up.

The game ended with a final score of 106-100, with Jordan leading all scorers with 45 points on the night, while Barkley scored a respectable 35 himself. After the game, Jordan was asked if he enjoyed competing against Barkley and the Rockets. Answering the same Jordan said,

” It’s always great to play against Charles. You know he is going to come out and play hard, no matter how much of a jokester he is, he will still play hard.”

Jordan and Barkley knew exactly what to expect from each other when they locked horns on the hard floor, something that undoubtedly fueled their friendship off it as well. Unfortunately, despite their being friends for years, their bond apparently wasn’t one that was meant to last.

The unfortunate end to a beautiful friendship

Athletes don’t often become lifelong friends, especially if they aren’t teammates. In the case of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, their friendship survived over a decade of intense, on-court battles. But things would soon sour after Barkley joined the media and openly criticized Jordan.

Back in the 2010s, Jordan was running the Charlotte Hornets into the ground, as the team was gunning for the worst record in league history. Barkley, who was now a part of the press (analyst on Inside The NBA), called out Jordan for his mismanagement of the team.

Barkley felt that Jordan had too many yes men around him, people who were too scared to disagree with Jordan. Barkley believed this to be the cause of the Hornets’ abysmal record. As many expected, these comments didn’t sit well with Jordan, as His Airness would soon cut ties with Barkley.

Neither one of the two initially expressed their desire to extend the olive branch, as Barkley told the media,

“He has my number.”

Hinting at the fact that Barkley wouldn’t be the one to extend his apologies first, Barkley has since admitted his sorrow over losing a dear friend. However, Jordan hasn’t spoken publicly, or even privately to Sir Charles since the incident.

As much as the world may want this friendship back, there seems to be no chance of reconciliation between the two legends at this moment. However, perhaps things will change down the line.