Charles Barkley is getting one thing straight: his bad blood with Michael Jordan is nothing like what’s happening within the Royal Family.
During a recent podcast appearance on “SI Media with Jimmy Traina,” the 76ers and Suns legend said he’s long been frustrated with the characterization of his infamous feud with Michael Jordan.
“I lost my best friend because I criticized him. Guys can always say about me, ‘Charles, you might not like him, but he’s gonna be fair,’ because of the situation with Michael.
“I always said, ‘Wait a minute, I criticize other general managers. Just because the guy is my best friend, if I have a double standard, that’s not fair,’” Barkley said about the pair’s beef.
The “Inside the NBA” analyst for TNT was then asked if he was tired of the same questions about the feud.
“Yes! A hundred percent. A hundred percent! Because you know what, Jimmy? They act like we Prince William and Prince Harry.
“Like I said, Michael got mad about something. I said we haven’t spoken and now two times a year I have to defend. … I’m like, ‘Yo, man, Michael’s doing great, Charles is doing great.’
“I wish him nothing but the best,” Barkley continued. “But, like, dude, we’re not like Prince Harry and Prince William. We’re not taking shots and by backdoor channels all the time, Michael’s doing great, and I’m doing great.”
After the two NBA superstars electrified fans and became close throughout their dazzling careers in the 1990s, their friendship splintered about a decade ago, which was the last time the two spoke to each other, Barkley revealed earlier this year.
When Barkley criticized Jordan’s moves as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets on TNT, Jordan called his longtime friend and gave him an earful.
“He went ballistic, and he called me and the last thing I heard was ‘motherf–ker, f–k you, you’re supposed to be my boy,’” Barkley said during a February appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast.
Barkley said he has mostly been able to avoid Jordan as the two continue to squabble, saying they’ve “actually only been in the same room like three times in the last 25 years.”
