Charles Barkley might be petty, and the same goes for Michael Jordan. That probably best explains why neither has attempted to repair the strained relationship following Barkley’s criticism of Jordan’s ownership style of the Charlotte Hornets.
When asked about any possible reconciliation during a 60 Minutes interview, Barkley tersely responded:
“He’s got my number,”
The former NBA star’s response indicates that Barkley refuses to be the first of the two men to apologize.
Barkley has spoken about it in the past, telling The Waddle And Silvy Show in 2012:
“Michael is one of my best friends. I love him like a brother. He’s always been there for me, but I do have to do my job. I do have to do my job. Like I told him I can’t get on radio and TV and say you have done a good job no matter how much I love you.”
Barkley said then that Jordan was not happy with him, and in other interviews, he has detailed that Jordan cursed him out before hanging up the phone and never calling him again.
Jordan has not addressed their falling out publicly, not even during 2020’s cultural firestorm The Last Dance, a Netflix-produced documentary focusing on Michael Jordan and his final season with the Chicago Bulls.
Barkley touches on several topics in the interview, including the propensity of journalists to ask Black athletes about anything related to race. At one point, Barkley remarks that the media does not stick a microphone in Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers’s faces but expects Black athletes to speak to the moment. Barkley regards that as unfair and says that while Black athletes should contribute financially and get involved that way, constantly asking them questions like they are supposed to have all the answers clearly bothers him. Barkley comes across in the interview as a genuine and relatable figure, which has become his trademark over the years as a basketball analyst on the TNT and CBS networks.
Barkley, 60, can take a long view of his life and beams with joy as he shows a video of his grandson, Henry. Barkley remarks that he is on the “back 9” of his life, acknowledging his mortality and desire to share as many moments as possible with his grandson.
Barkley is also preparing to host a CNN show alongside Gayle King titled King Charles, which will discuss a number of topics. Barkley says he wants the show to be non-political, but that’s unlikely. The man famous for a Nike advertisement campaign declaring that he is not a role model would love nothing more than for his grandson to eventually Google him and see what all Barkley had accomplished for however long he lives.
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