For decades, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were inseparable—two NBA icons who entered the league together in 1984, battled on the court, and bonded off it.
That relationship, however, came to an abrupt halt in 2012 after a late-night phone call that Barkley now says permanently changed everything.
Speaking recently on the Tom Tolbert Show, Barkley recalled the moment Jordan called him after taking issue with comments Barkley made on television about Jordan’s leadership as owner of the then-Charlotte Bobcats, now the Charlotte Hornets.
At the time, Barkley was a regular analyst on TNT’s Inside the NBA, and known for his blunt, unfiltered takes.
According to Barkley, Jordan didn’t appreciate being singled out on air. “He called me that night and went ballistic,” Barkley said, explaining that Jordan was furious over being criticized publicly by someone he considered his closest friend.
Barkley said he stood by his position, telling Jordan he couldn’t hold others accountable for poor management decisions while giving him a pass. “I have to do my job,” Barkley explained. “When other guys make bad draft picks, I call them on it too.”
The conversation quickly deteriorated. Barkley described it as one-sided, filled with shouting and profanity, and ending without resolution. They have not spoken since.
Barkley also previously stated that the final words he heard from Jordan were a blunt expletive-laced dismissal—marking the end of a friendship that had lasted nearly 30 years.
The split carried emotional weight for Barkley, who has repeatedly acknowledged how difficult it was to lose someone he once considered a brother. Still, he has said publicly that the door remains open if Jordan ever wants to reconnect.
Jordan, who became majority owner of the Hornets in 2010 and sold his controlling stake in 2023 for roughly $3 billion, never addressed the fallout publicly.
However, during his tenure with the now-Hornets, the franchise made just three playoff appearances and failed to win a series.