Charles Barkley Calls Out USA’s Unsung Heroes: “We Talk About Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Phil Mickelson, LeBron James, Magic Johnson. But There Are People in Life Who’s Goal Is to Just Make It as a Professional”

NBA fans wax lyrical about Michael Jordan and his splendid career in the NBA. Jordan ushered a new facet of the NBA by helping it market itself to a global audience. Jordan still has many admirers among the media and his colleagues. A former NBA star recently reserved high praise for Jordan.

NBA legend and former player Charles Barkley mentioned Michael Jordan among a host of other sports greats. In ‘The Steam Room Podcast’, which Barkley co-hosts alongside Ernie Johnson, Barkley revealed his thoughts while speaking about Rob Labritz. Barkley mentioned Labritz, a professional golfer among some of the GOTAs of other sports.

Barkley said, “And I am going to finish up on a high note. Rob Labritz. So you know we always, in sports, we talk about Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Michael, LeBron, Magic. But there are people in life who, their goal is to just make it as a professional.” Being compared to Jordan is surely high praise for Rob Labritz.

Charles Barkley himself was a decorated professional during his career in the NBA. While Barkley never played with Michael Jordan on the same team, they remained rivals, as they faced each other many times. Coincidentally, Barkley started his NBA career in 1984, the same year as Jordan.

Michael Jordan spent most of his NBA career playing for the Chicago Bulls

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Michael Jordan and his college career before turning professional

Before turning professional, like many aspiring NBA players, Michael Jordan spent his formative years playing in the NCAA. Jordan played for the University of North Carolina after accepting a basketball scholarship. His freshman year witnessed him being named the ACC Freshman of the Year by the ACC.

Jordan displayed his clutch genes early in college too. He scored the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship Final against Georgetown. His stats in college were quite impressive as he posted 17.7 ppg and 5.0 RPG. The Chicago Bulls eventually selected Jordan as the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft.

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