Why Michael Jordan Really Ended His Friendship With Charles Barkley

In a new interview with CBS 60 Minutes, Charles Barkley opened up about his years-long feud with Michael Jordan, revealing that they fell out over something he said about the Charlotte Hornets and its owners in 2012. “Michael disagreed with something I said, and he broke off the friendship,” Barkley explained. “And what I said, I think that he don’t have enough people around him that are gonna tell him, ‘No.’ And he got really offended, and we haven’t spoken.” But while Barkley’s comments might have cost him his friendship with Jordan, the former NBA star is not deterred from speaking his mind during sports analysis. “I’m gonna do my job because I have zero credibility if I criticize other people in the same boat and not criticize my best friend,” he added. When asked if there is any room for future reconciliation, Barkley insists Jordan would have to make the move.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist had, in a previous interview, detailed his last conversation with Jordan before their feud kicked off. “He went ballistic,” Barkley said during an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast. “He called me and the last thing I heard was ‘Motherf***er, f*** you. You’re supposed to be my boy.’ I said ‘Man, I gotta do my job.’ And we haven’t spoken since that night.”