Although Charles Barkley never won an NBA championship, he is still considered one of the greatest players in league history. The Chicago Bulls had a magical run throughout much of the 1990s, winning six championships via two separate three-peats.
All-time great Michael Jordan led the Bulls to six titles, but fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen was largely credited as a key piece of Chicago’s dynasty. The Bulls’ dominance made it difficult for Barkley and the Phoenix Suns to win a title. In 1993, Barkley led a Suns team to the NBA Finals, but Phoenix ultimately lost the series in six games to Jordan and the Bulls.
But, the defeat did not prevent Barkley from developing a close friendship with Jordan. However, over the years, Barkley and Jordan’s friendship has dissolved, with the current NBA television analyst revealing last year that he had not spoken to Jordan in “almost 10 years.”
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Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley of the Suns face off during the NBA Finals in Phoenix, Arizona, in June 1993. (Rob Schumacher/The Republic via USA Today Network)
Despite their chemistry on the basketball court in the ’90s, Pippen has recently been vocal about his personal distaste for Jordan.
In May, Pippen made an appearance on the “Gimme The Hot Sauce” podcast where he suggested that Jordan was a “horrible player” early in his career.
CHARLES BARKLEY SAYS MICHAEL JORDAN ‘WENT BALLISTIC’ IN THEIR MOST RECENT CONVERSATION
“I saw Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls. You guys saw him play. He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. He was all one-on-one, he’s shooting bad shots,” Pippen said.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Bulls talk during the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat at the United Center in Chicago. (Vincent Laforet/AFP via Getty Images)
This week, Barkley was a guest on “The Dan Patrick Show” and was asked about the upcoming Bulls Ring of Honor ceremony. Jordan and Pippen are among the players who will be honored during the Jan. 12 game against the Golden State Warriors.
Barkley took the opportunity to take a jab at his former friend.
“You know what? I gotta go,” Barkley said. “I’m just gonna sit back in the corner and stare…. please, please don’t have it [on] a night I have to work, because I want to go there and be a fly on the wall.”
Aside from Pippen’s criticism of Jordan as a teammate, he has also publicly commented on Jordan’s son Marcus, who is currently dating Larsa Pippen. Larsa, a reality television personality, was married to Scottie for almost two decades.
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Barkley suggested that he would travel to Chicago to witness the “uncomfortable” situation.
“I’m gonna go to Chicago that day just to see it,” Barkley said. “You talk about weirdest, uncomfortable… uncomfortable won’t do it justice.… I can’t wait to go to this.”
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