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MJ’s Teammate Claims Charles Barkley Showed Michael Jordan His True Colors on National TV: “He Wasn’t Being a Friend”

Published 12/20/2022, 8:50 AM EST

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NBA legends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley used to be very close friends. Even though they were fierce competitors, the former title rivals had a good relationship off the court. They spent a lot of time together during the off-season and also during the season. Golfing and cards are two of the many activities the superstars did together. The two also had a common interest in gambling. However, things suddenly went south and the former friends have not spoken for over ten years.

Over a decade ago, Barkley made some honest and brutal comments about Jordan’s ownership of the Charlotte Hornets. He suggested MJ should surround himself with better people. This did not sit well with the six-time champion who called Barkley, and the two had a heated argument. Moreover, the two have not spoken since. A former teammate of MJ has now given his thoughts about the feud.

Salley on the strained relationship between Jordan and Barkley

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John Salley played with Michael Jordan for one season and won a title. Recently, he made an appearance on the VladTV show, where he talked about a variety of things. In one instance, he was asked about the issue between Jordan and Charles Barkley. Salley stated that he spoke with Barkley about it last year and added Barkley admitted he should not have said what he said about MJ on TV.

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He said, “‘I should not have said that about my friend,’ Charles said. Right there on stage, he was wrong for doing that and going at Michael. This is the deal he understands Michael, he understands that when somebody and everybody maybe should do it this way. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them the first time. And Charles to him showed, once again on television, saying that he wasn’t being a friend right there.”

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The host added that it is not easy to talk about people one has a personal relationship with on TV.

Barkley recounts comments about Michael Jordan

Charles Barkley recently talked about his strained relationship with Michael Jordan. The Philadelphia 76ers legend stated it was an unfortunate situation for both parties. He added he can’t criticize others and then not do the same to Jordan just because he was his best friend.

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The 1993 MVP recounted that he suggested the Chicago Bulls legend surround himself with people who can tell him the truth rather than people who tend to tell what MJ wants to hear. He added no problem making the comment because that was the truth.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra