Charles Barkley is a true friend. Despite a decade-old beef, Chuck has never hesitated to praise his former buddy Michael Jordan. Just recently, the veteran credited the Chicago Bulls legend for the massive success NBA players continue to enjoy in this era. He suggested that while Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are known for being truly great in their game, they wouldn’t have earned millions if it weren’t for the 6x NBA champion. 

He stated that he wasn’t an exception. “If it weren’t for Michael, we wouldn’t, I wouldn’t make millions of dollars from Nike a year. LeBron, Kobe wouldn’t make millions of dollars from Nike a year. If it wasn’t for Michael Jordan,” Chuck said during his recent appearance in NFL legend Shannon Sharpe’s Podcast Club Shay Shay.

Back in 2019, King James signed a lifetime deal with Nike. As per sources, the 4x NBA champ earns around $30 million annually from his Nike deal. Earlier, Bryant signed a deal with Adidas in 1996. Six years later, Bryant signed a four-year deal with Nike that paid him about $10 million a year. At the time of his tragic passing, Bryant had a net worth of $600 million, behind Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods among athletes.

Barkley emphasized how Jordan’s massive shoe deal influenced brands and companies to shoot commercials featuring sports athletes. He further added that he feels fortunate to have played in Jordan’s era. 

Charles Barkley calls Michael Jordan,  the greatest player 

Beginning with his exceptional skills taking the world by storm, to opening new doors for athletes, Barkley even claimed that His Airness is indeed the greatest in the league. Speaking of the GOAT debate that often involves Jordan and the Los Angeles Lakers star James, Barkley stated that his former best friend is easily the champion when these subtle elements are considered. 

“We all wouldn’t have commercials. People act like athletes always did commercials. No, number one, none of us had a shoe deal until Michael. None of us shot commercials until Michael. So whether you want to debate who’s the greatest, that guy is the reason we make,” Barkley said about the debate and Jordan in the same podcast.

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During the conversation, Barkley also recalled losing to Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals. Speaking of his time with the Suns, the retired NBA player expressed his only regret about losing to Jordan, that is he couldn’t lead the franchise to win a championship ring. After handing defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Game 2, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls went on to close the series in 6 games. Truly, as Barkley describes, Jordan continues to earn millions with his Jordan Brand and partnership with Nike. However, along with that, he has also made a global impact that continues to benefit future players.