For most of his career, Charles Barkley didn’t care about the shoes he wore. He’s old enough that he was still wearing Converse high-tops in college. Once he settled into the NBA, though, he wore almost exclusively Nike Air Maxes, including his signature shoe which was an offshoot of that line. There was, however, one exception.
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Barkley joined The Dan Patrick Show, where he has a recurring appearance, and discussed all the changes in his life with the end of “Inside the NBA” on TNT before getting back to his normal self and telling some ridiculous stories from his past.
This one starts as many do, on a golf course. Chuck’s close friend Michael Jordan, whom many of you may know, suggested that Barkley start taking two-thirds of his salary in stock options for Nike.
While the bet paid off, Barkley didn’t overly praise the brand but continued to focus on how awful the Air Jordans were to play in. “Man, I put his shoes on one game. He is definitely the greatest d*** basketball player that has ever lived,” started Chuck, “but those were the heaviest damn things I’ve ever played in in my life.”
Patrick could not contain his laughter as Barkley continued to bash the iconic shoes that changed the fashion and sports world forever. “Because when I designed my shoes, we wanted them really really light. I played in those heavy a** Air Jordans one game, and it was like I had bricks on my feet.”
The game happened in 1999. Barkley, who was on the Houston Rockets at the time, wore the Air Jordan XIVs. Funny enough, Jordan’s former teammate Scottie Pippen was also doing a tribute to Jordan.
Barkley finished with praise that could only come from him. “I played in them for one game, and those shoes were too heavy for me. That’s a true story, Dan. I said, ‘You really are the d*** GOAT if you did all of that in these bricks.'”
Michael and Charles have shared decades of friendship, and they’ve never stopped being competitive with or insulting each other. Those are always the best types of friendships anyway.
