Inside The Expletive-Filled Conversation That Ended Charles Barkley's Friendship With Michael Jordan

Charles Barkley hasn't spoken with his former best friend, Michael Jordan, in over 10 years. During a recent episode of the "Tom Tolbert Show," Barkley, 62, got candid about the expletive-filled conversation with the NBA icon that ruined their friendship. According to Barkley, the pair fell out after the former 76ers player made critical comments about Jordan, who at the time was the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets), on an episode of "Inside the NBA." Barkley claimed during his recent interview that Jordan "called me that night and went ballistic," revealing that things have never been the same since then.

"He said ‘You supposed to be my best friend and you’re going to do that bullsh-t," Barkley continued. "I told him I have to do my job and you haven’t been a good GM." Barkley shared that he had to be impartial, adding, "How can I criticize other people and give him a pass? When other guys make bad draft picks, I call them on it, too."

Jordan's reported phone call came after Barkley expressed his disappointment with some of Jordan's decision-making as Charlotte's majority owner, suggesting that the NBA champion only wanted to be around "yes men." Barkley recalled that during his phone call with Jordan, "He just cursed me out up and down." He added, "And we have not spoken since that night. It's a very difficult thing for me because he was my best friend at the time."

This wouldn't be the first time that Barkley has shared the details of his explosive conversation with Jordan. In 2023, he spoke with former NBA player Matt Barnes on his podcast, "All The Smoke," about the incident, claiming that the last thing he heard from the Bulls legend was, "'Motherf-cker, f-ck you. You're supposed to be my boy.'"

Barkley also spoke with the Bleacher Report about the incident that same year, revealing that should the basketball GOAT ever want to repair their broken bond, he's more than willing. "That’s on his end. He was my best friend at the time, and I love the guy and I miss the guy," he said. "I thought it would blow over, to be honest with you. And he’s stubborn — and I’m stubborn — and that’s it."

Jordan became a minority owner of the Charlotte NBA team in 2006 before becoming majority owner in 2010. Jordan later sold his stake in 2023 for $3 billion. During his reign as majority owner, fans and NBA analysts were hopeful the Hornets would experience major success. However, they only made three playoff appearances and were plagued by mediocrity and historic lows, including the worst winning percentage in NBA history during the 2011-2012 season. Jordan and the Hornets were also criticized for questionable draft picks, such as selecting Cody Zeller over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist over Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. The Hornets' unlucky run has continued, as they're currently 9-20 and fourth in the Southeast Division.

Barkley and Jordan aren't the only notable professional athletes to have had a public falling-out. According to The Blast, MLB stars Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter had a famous feud in the early 2000s after A-Rod's comments about Jeter in an interview were supposedly taken out of context.

In the Esquire interview, A-Rod spoke about Jeter's career, saying the shortstop has "been blessed with great talent around him." He continued, "He's never had to lead. He can just go and play and have fun. He hits second – that's totally different than third or fourth in a lineup."

While discussing his recent HBO series, "Alex vs ARod," Rodriguez addressed the scandal, admitting he thought his comments were "pretty vanilla." He said, "I complimented the whole team, and they took that and ran with it. That put a strain on our relationship for years."

In a 2022 interview with ESPN, Jeter replied, calling himself a "loyal" friend. "I just looked at it as, 'I wouldn't have done it.' And then it was the media. The constant hammer to the nail. They just kept hammering it in. It just became noise, which frustrated me. Just constant noise."

While the two may never be as close as they once were, the MLB greats are in a better place today, working alongside each other as analysts for Fox Sports.