Charles Barkley On Feud With His "Best Friend" Michael Jordan: "He Has My Number"

BYCole BlakePublished on July 31, 20235.2K Views

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 28: Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley (34) laughs at a foul call with Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23) in the first half 28 January 1996 at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls won 93-82. Jordan scored 31 points, and Barkley scored 20 with 16 rebounds. (Photo credit should read BRIAN BAHR/AFP via Getty Images)

Charles Barkley says its on Michael Jordan to reach out to him amid their fallout.

Charles Barkley recently reflected on his friendship with Michael Jordan, explaining that the two no longer speak following his criticism of Jordan's ownership of the Charlotte Hornets. Barkley discussed the rift between himself and his former "best friend" during an interview on 60 Minutes, Sunday.

"I said, 'I don't think he's gonna have enough people around him that are gonna tell him no,'" Barkley said. "I have zero credibility if I criticize other people in the same boat and not criticize my best friend." He added: "You can be great at something, but that doesn't give you the right to be a jerk. He's got my number."

Charles Barkley Plays Golf With Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan & Charles Barkley during Michael Jordan Celebrity Golf Invitational at Ocean Club Golf Course in Paradise Island, Bahamas. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)

Barkley previously revealed that he had a falling out with Jordan while speaking with Taylor Rooks back in 2022. “It’s a really unfortunate situation for me and him," Barkley said at the time. "But I’m going to do my job first and foremost. I can’t criticize other coaches and general managers and give him a pass because he’s my best friend. I just can’t do that. What I said was, ‘Michael’s got to surround himself with better people. And I worry about him being successful.’ When you're a star - he's the biggest star I've ever been around - everybody around you will tell you what you want to hear. I didn't think he had a good enough supporting cast around him in the front office to be successful."

Charles Barkley On His Relationship With Michael Jordan

Barkley and Jordan famously played together on the United States National Team that won gold in Barcelona in 1992. After retiring, Jordan went on to purchase the Hornets. On the other hand, Barkley has been a sports analyst in the decades since his playing career ended. Jordan sold the Hornets, earlier this year, while Barkley remains a host on Inside the NBA.

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Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.