“Michael Jordan calls me every ‘motherf**ker’ and ‘son of a b**ch’”: Charles Barkley recalls just how him and the Bulls legend had a falling out

Charles Barkley talks about exactly what transpired between him and Michael Jordan and how the latter called him up to curse him out. 

Michael Jordan took pride in his ability to separate work from his personal life. He was of the philosophy that mingling with ‘the enemy’ and befriending guys who he competed against like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and many more would lead to him being distracted from the ultimate goal of beating them. 

However, events such as the formation of the ‘Dream Team’ and the general passage of time led to Jordan softening his stance on this front. Charles Barkley was one of the first people who MJ connected with from his peers. 

Despite the constant on court battles, Michael Jordan enjoyed a great friendship with Chuck. The two would even rope Tiger Woods in to form quite the iconic trio who routinely took vacations, golfed together, and played cards behind closed doors.

Also read: “If Michael Jordan did it, why can’t LeBron James?”: MJ’s Bulls made it to the playoffs multiple times with a losing record, the Lakers might do the same

However, as time went on and both NBA legends hung up the shoes, they took jobs in an around the NBA in different capacities. This would mark the beginning of the end of their relationship with one another. 

Michael Jordan was livid at Charles Barkley’s criticism towards him. 

Charles Barkley delved into the NBA analysis game alongside Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith and Ernie Johnson while Michael Jordan went down the executive route and ran the Charlotte Bobcats after buying a stake in the team.

Also read: “Michael Jordan is not the ‘GOAT’, he’s only the best player of the 1990s”: When Pistons legend, John Salley, refused to acknowledge Jordan as the greatest

One of the Jordan’s biggest mistakes as an exec for the Bobcats was drafting Adam Morrison out of Gonzaga. The junior averaged 28+ points that year and was MJ’s prized possession. Barkley however, over the phone with Jordan, advised against it as Morrison didn’t have a position. 

Moreover, Chuck would keep it real with Michael Jordan and tell him that he’s hiring a bunch of yes-men around him who are too scared to tell him otherwise. The final straw for the 6x champ was when Charles went on TV and openly criticized his moves as an NBA exec. 

“Even though Michael was my best friend, I had to tell the truth and he had been through a bad run so I would’ve lost all credibility. I said, ‘I don’t know if Michael’s ever going to be successful because he only hires his friends.’” 

“I got to work that night and I see his name pop up. He is calling me every motherf**ker, you son of a b**ch, blah blah blah. I said, ‘Michael, I got to do my job,’ and he goes ballistic.”