High-profile friendships are few and far apart in the NBA, or at least in the public eye. And there might be a reason for the same too, among the stars of today. Even if they are in close quarters with other NBA stars, there might be a hesitation to make the equation public, seeing how famous NBA friendships in the past grabbed media attention in all the wrong ways.
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The biggest example of such a precautionary tale of friendship might just be the famous Michael Jordan – Charles Barkley relationship. The two superstars shared a friendship that was much celebrated and later much maligned after the duo faced off against each other in the NBA Finals.
Theories from even the Chicago Bulls camp began to suggest that MJ had even used their friendship to his benefit by softening Chuck’s edge when it came to their contest. And combining Scottie Pippen‘s view of the relationship, it didn’t seem like a well-balanced friendship. Pippen had even taken a public dig at Chuck for “kissing Michael’s a**”, something Chuck didn’t take lightly to.
Charles Barkley himself reportedly wondered whether Michael Jordan had played him intentionally.
No one likes to be emotionally manipulated. Naturally, with sources close to the Bulls letting out rumors of Michael Jordan intentionally toying with Barkley to weaken his edge, Chuck was left questioning the friendship he maintained.
It was certainly a tough phase to be Charles Barkley. As if the NBA Finals loss wasn’t painful in itself. It was arguably the closest The Chuckster had come to be an NBA champion. Pippen calling him a ‘kiss-a**’ only added fuel to the raging fire. Roland Lazenby in the critically acclaimed book Michael Jordan: The Life, revealed:
“Pippen, meanwhile, was not a Sir Charles fan and would later publicly berate him for “kissing Michael’s a**,” an accusation that left Barkley bristling. Yet it would remain largely an unanswered question. Had Jordan hoodwinked Barkley just when he was close to the main prize? Afterward, Jordan offered that the main difference between them was experience. He knew what to expect from the series in terms of pressure, but Barkley really didn’t. You had to be ready for that kind of burden, Jordan said.”
His Airness is someone who went to all extents to win. But if this were to be true, it certainly means that man had no limits when it came to being competitive.
Only MJ can confirm the story for the world, of course. But manipulating a supposed close friend to win is beyond comprehension, even from Michael Jordan. Whatever be, the mind games and how the game played out on the court, seemed to go all MJ. The Bulls trounced Barkley’s Suns to secure their first three-peat in 1993.
The friendship between Jordan and Charles Barkley eventually ran its course though.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the rumors of Jordan playing around and manipulating Chuck that led to the end of their friendship. That, according to Barkley, came down to MJ being offended by his friend’s criticism of his Hornets.
According to Chuck, Jordan wasn’t good at dealing with criticism. The Hornets have been a mediocre franchise throughout MJ’s reign as owner. But Jordan clearly wasn’t receptive to criticism and couldn’t deal with his failings as an owner if Barkley’s words are true.
Barkley may not be the best “analyst” in town. But it doesn’t take much analysis to recognize the follies in Michael Jordan’s run as an NBA team owner. Rumors suggest at Jordan finally aiming to sell off his share of the Charlotte Hornets. Maybe time has proven to MJ that Barkley was indeed right in his criticism. Is there going to be a return to being friends in the cards for the former stars?
