"He Cursed Me Out": Charles Barkley Recalls The Night That His Friendship With Michael Jordan Ended

Hoops fans from the ’90s will recall that Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were once the best of friends. At some point, though, there was a falling out between the two Hall of Famers who shared the court and even starred in a movie together. What happened?

Barkley aired his side of the story when he appeared on the “Tom Tolbert Show.” According to the “Inside the NBA” analyst, his on-air criticism of Jordan as an executive of the Charlotte franchise marked the point of no return in their relationship.

"I said, I don't think Michael's ever going to be successful because the people around him aren't good talent evaluators," Barkley recalled. "He called me that night and went ballistic on me. He said, 'You supposed to be my best friend and you’re going to do that b***s***?’"

Barkley is referring to Jordan's stint as a team owner, which began in 2010 when he purchased the majority stake of the ball club then known as the Charlotte Bobcats.

Though Jordan wasn't technically the GM of the team (which would later revert to its original Charlotte Hornets name), he was famously hands-on with basketball decisions, a lot of which didn't translate into success for the franchise. From selecting young talent via the NBA Draft to picking head coaches, the Bobcats/Hornets barely made waves in the league during Jordan's 13-year period of ownership.

The Chuckster, who starred with MJ in the 1996 film “Space Jam,” did not spare his buddy from his patented brutal honesty on the airwaves.

"I told him I have to do my job and you haven’t been a good GM," Barkley said, flashing back to the details of the fateful phone call. "He cursed me out, up and down, and we have not spoken since that night."

It should be noted that, though Barkley and Jordan's friendship has eroded over the years, the former has been consistent in his reverence for the latter's legacy. On multiple occasions, Barkley has fired back at pundits, claiming that LeBron James is the greatest NBA player of all time, staunchly citing Jordan's accomplishments to support his case as the GOAT.

If there's any quality that Barkley has exemplified throughout his career, it's his sincerity. Though it has cost him the good graces of Jordan, he has not wavered in his honest assessment of his former buddy's place in hoops history.