Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were close friends as NBA superstars and teammates on the USA “Dream Team” in the 1990s. But the Barkley-Jordan friendship had a well-documented falling out after Barkley criticized Jordan’s work as part-owner and head of basketball operations with the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in 2012.
“I think the biggest problem has been I don’t know if [Jordan] has hired enough people around him who he will listen to,” Barkley said on ESPN Chicago’s Waddle & Silvy in 2012. “One thing about being famous is the people around you, you pay all their bills so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check. They want to fly around on your private jet so they never disagree with you. I don’t think Michael has hired enough people around him who will disagree.”
“I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job,” Barkley added on that radio appearance. “Even though he is one of my great friends, I can’t get on here and tell you he’s done a great job. He has not done a great job, plain and simple.”
Jordan didn’t appreciate those words, which isn’t a surprise to anyone who watched his competitive nature and willingness to use bad blood as fuel on full display with The Last Dance docuseries.
And while The Last Dance aired on ESPN in May 2020, Barkley offered pessimism on that relationship turning around.
“The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years,” Barkley said in 2020. “At least 20-something years. And I do, I feel sadness. But to me, he’s still the greatest basketball player ever. I wish him nothing but the best. But there’s nothing I can do about it, brother.”
Finally, there appears to be optimism and movement on the Barkley-Jordan friendship returning.
During a SiriusXM appearance on Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on Friday, Barkley said that he’s speaking with Jordan again, and they will play golf when the NBA season ends.
“We had a conversation,” Barkley said. “We’re going to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over.”
“We’re not like Prince William and Prince Harry.”
The long feud is over. Charles Barkley tells @MadDogUnleashed that him and Michael Jordan are speaking again and they are playing golf when the NBA season ends. pic.twitter.com/YnAxcM5CYl
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) April 17, 2026
“Wow! Charles, that’s a big story!” Russo responded. “Because he was mad at you!”
“Hey, we’re not like Prince William and Prince Harry,” Barkley explained. “We always had a lot of love for each other. But we talked, actually, in the last probably 72 hours. We decided to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over.”
That’s a notable development.
Barkley still has his duties as an Inside the NBA analyst with ESPN/TNT Sports for the NBA Playoffs into June, and Jordan is a minority owner for the Charlotte Hornets, who were set to play the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Friday night. Jordan is also a “special contributor” for the NBA on NBC after he participated in an interview with Mike Tirico that NBC turned into numerous segments throughout the 2025-26 season. Barkley called it “disingenuous by NBC.”
So, it might take some time for the golf outing to come together, but it’s good to hear that Barkley and Jordan are speaking again and making strides to get their friendship back on track.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.