Home

NBA

“Can You Imagine Now?”: Calling Out “Soft” Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, Ex-NFL Star Slams Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas for “Kissing” Routine

Published 03/30/2023, 10:30 AM EDT

Follow Us

via Imago

The NBA world is popularly known for its fierce competition both on and off the court. One of the most popular feuds of all time is between Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan.  

Barkley and Jordan were once close friends, but their relationship took a dark turn over the years. Barkley claims that Jordan broke off the friendship over criticizing the Hornets’ performance on the court, and suggested that Jordan needed more people around him who were willing to give him honest feedback. Let us learn more about the feud that the criticism of the Charlotte Hornet’s management created.

Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan are soft?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Michael Jordan took offense to Barkley’s comments about his team and its performance. For Barkley, there’s no double standard – in personal on air comments Barkley has often described himself as an analyst and that his job is to criticize anyone who deserves it, even his best friend. Charles Barkley during an interview was pretty clear about Jordan being arrogant because he was once a great player. He also talked about how if their relationship was ever going to be mended, it would be up to Jordan to take the first step.

via Imago

However, ESPN analyst Jay Williams disagrees. He believes that the fact that Barkley and Jordan haven’t spoken in a decade is a sign of weakness and that both men are “soft” for letting their friendship fall apart over something so trivial. Williams argues that in a world where NBA players are criticized and ridiculed on a daily basis, it’s ridiculous for two grown men to let their egos get in the way of a long-standing friendship. 

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Recent comments of Jay Williams sparked a lot of discussions among the fans. And amidst all the chaos and debates, Marcellus Wiley, responding to Williams’ comments shared a story about Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas kissing on the court.

Read more: When Michael Jordan Was Embarrassed by NHL Legend Wayne Gretzky For Being a Cheap Tipper

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The Magic Johnson “kissing” ritual

Marcellus Wiley in his show said, “Y’all want more ammunition of the old school when they were let’s say a little softer… Do y’all remember when Magic Johnson and the Lakers used to play Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons, maybe you do, maybe you don’t. This is after tape delay y’all, so y’all should be able to keep up with me and find this in the archives before the game they used to meet like Center Court and give each other a kiss like on a cheek. Like really a kiss…like you my dog, you my boy… Can you imagine now if you saw two players in Center Court and they kissed each other what y’all would say we didn’t say much back then?”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Despite Wiley’s “kissing” ritual story from the “softer” era, what are your thoughts about Jay Williams’ comments? Are Barkley and Jordan really “soft” for not being able to move past their differences? 

Watch this story: 5 times Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal have had heated fights on Inside the NBA

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Nivedita Dubey

187Articles

One take at a time

Nivedita Dubey is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Nivedita has been following the NBA for a long time now and is deeply interested in the strategic intricacies of the sport. To hone her understanding of the inner workings of the game, she closely follows the analyses of popular NBA insiders and reporters like, Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania.
Show More>

Edited by:

Gideon Mathson