‘I Gotta Tell You Something’: Charles Barkley Gets Real About The Moment He Finally Admitted Michael Jordan Was A Better Basketball Player Than Him

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Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan no longer maintain a friendship, but Barkley is always quick to acknowledge Jordan’s accomplishments when appropriate. Over the past few years, Barkley has not only praised Jordan’s basketball abilities but also defended him from Scottie Pippen’s criticisms. Recently, during a conversation, Jordan was brought up, reminding Barkley, the “Round Mound of Rebound,” of the time he had to concede that Jordan was the superior player.

Despite some people finding Charles Barkley’s appearances on “The Dan Patrick Show” intimidating, I admire them greatly. This is because the frank Barkley isn’t shy about expressing candid opinions on his broadcasting career, NBA past, personal life, and other topics. In a recent interview on the show (which can be found on YouTube), Barkley confessed to Patrick that years ago, he believed himself superior to Larry Bird, MJ, and others. However, his perspective on Jordan evolved following a particular incident in 1993, which significantly impacted his view of the basketball legend.

It wasn’t until Michael Jordan outperformed me in the Finals that I truly questioned his superiority. While my team, the Sixers, had previously fared well against the Bulls, they eventually improved and defeated us during the playoffs one season. Initially, I believed that he excelled due to the presence of a stronger supporting cast.

In the ’90s, the NBA experienced a golden era, with numerous teams boasting formidable players. The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, rose to prominence during this time, while the Phoenix Suns gained significant strength after Charles Barkley joined them in 1992. At that point, Barkley was determined to demonstrate his status as the world’s best player, and he confidently predicted to his teammates at training camp that they would face the Bulls in the Finals. Although their encounter did occur, it didn’t unfold as Barkley anticipated.

After the second game, my daughter was distraught, crying because we had lost. I reassured her, saying ‘Don’t worry, everything will be okay, but there’s something I need to share with you. I’ve never said this before in my life, but I believe that opponent might be a better basketball player than me.’ But I added, ‘I still think I’m the best, and we’ll be fine.’ We went on to win Game 3, lose Game 4, win Game 5, returning home for Game 6. I told my daughter, ‘I told you I believe I’m the best player in the world, and I’m going to show it.’ Unfortunately, they defeated us again, and I later explained to her, ‘For the first time, I’ve admitted that he is a better basketball player than me.’

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Charles Barkley voices his opinions on Michael Jordan’s new role at NBC, musing if their broadcasting stints now mark them as ‘competitors’.

For quite some time, Charles Barkley has spoken about the 1993 NBA Finals on various occasions. He also addressed this championship series during the documentary series “The Last Dance”, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription. Later on, Barkley confessed that he found the Emmy-winning show enjoyable to watch, but admitted that revisiting his team’s loss in the Finals stirred up an unpleasant memory for him. Despite this, he acknowledged and praised the Bulls for their accomplishments.

It’s truly regrettable that the friendship between Jordan and Barkley no longer exists, and whenever Barkley speaks highly of his former friend, it only deepens my sense of loss. However, it appears as though Barkley isn’t interested in reconciling, considering his own confessed stubbornness. It’s rumored that sports journalist Michael Wilbon is trying to reunite Jordan and Barkley, but I’m not confident that will occur. For now, I simply admire the respect Barkley holds for his old teammate’s basketball abilities.

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2025-07-24 05:07