Two things happened in 1991. Michael Jordan won his first of six championships to make NBA a huge deal and Larry Johnson came to the league. And Charles Barkley was there too. But Chuck and LJ gave some exciting matchups and were even better when they teamed up. Over three decades since, Barkley’s impact on Johnson was more than what MJ could’ve done. It showed when LJ featured on All The Smoke podcast’s live show. He may have stumped Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes too.

Barnes and Stak had a rapid Q&A where they threw names and LJ gave his take on them. The mention of ‘Charles Barkley,’ got a rare response. “GOAT.” That’s not usually what’s said about Chuckster. So Barnes’ slow “wow,” is understandable. Maybe he doesn’t know if he should ask about Michael Jordan.

But LJ explained his rival from the Philadelphia 76ers is greater because he was unstoppable when he wanted to be. “He always could play to me. Man, he always could play to me. The times I saw him… he, I saw different things.” Several of their teammates have acknowledged that despite Barkley having veteran experience over LJ, the latter had the skills to give Chuck a run for his money.

One time it was evident, according to LJ, when Johnson was playing for the Charlotte Hornets alongside Alonzo Mourning and they met Barkley one game.

“One game, he [Barkley] and I was out there coasting and I had a good back at this time. I got like sixteen, so that we guarding each other. The game was ‘Larry Johnson versus Charles Barkley,” the Hornets star relives on the podcast.

Chuck, around eight seasons into his career, playing for the Phoenix Suns then, and LJ in his second season, were going nearly head-to-head and were the highlights of the match. Till the Charlotte rookie, Alonzo butted in and blocked Barkley’s shot.

The problem came when Mourning pulled out the trash talk at Chuckster and LJ panicked. “I said, ‘No! No! just block the shot,'” Johnson told Mourning but he kept up the trash talk. The result, Barkley “toasted” them. Barkley apparently went from 16 points to finishing the game close to 30. Moments like this is why Johnson named Charles Barkley his GOAT.

Larry Johnson was a tough rival to Charles Barkley

If you asked Alonzo Mourning, he’d say that Larry Johnson and Charles Barkley were very evenly matched. They had some of the best clashes in their overlapping careers. It’s unclear which game Grandmama was referring to on All the Smoke. Barkley has had over 200 30+ point games, but none of them against Charlotte in 1992.

Before the Hornets (Bobcats) selected Mourning, LJ and Chuck had a very intense matchup. Sixers’ Barkley had picked up a few technicals, including for a hard foul on Muggsy Bogues. After another scuffle, Chuck was among three players ejected from the game.

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Barkley went to Phoenix after that and would play against LJ later into the season. The teams were head-to-head then, though Barkley came out on top most times. The rivals would go on to star alongside Michael Jordan in Space Jam. We wonder if there was any trash-talk fueled matches then.