‘Excuse me, Chuck!’ Charles Barkley was set to make amends with Michael Jordan after tearing him up as NBA team owner in 2012 and igniting a decades-long feud, says Kenny Smith
Kenny Smith chooses fellow North Carolina native Tar Heel as his broadcast partner in the ongoing feud between Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.
When asked by TMZ for his assessment of the situation, Smith said it was Barkley who should make amends.
“Excuse me, Chuck,” Smith said. “You were wrong. He’s always wrong. I don’t want to talk to Chuck today either.”
As Barkley recently explained during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, he and Jordan have not spoken to each other since the TNT host criticized Jordan’s performance as NBA owner in 2012. The two longtime friends are known to have had a falling out over Barkley’s comments, but the exact exchange has never been publicly revealed.
“He freaked out and called me and the last thing I heard was ‘Motherf*****, f*** you, you’re should be my boy,'” Barkley told podcast host Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, both former NBA players themselves.
Kenny Smith (left) selects fellow North Carolina native Tar Heel as his broadcast partner in the ongoing feud between Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley (right).
As Barkley recently explained during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, he and Jordan have not spoken to each other since the TNT host criticized Jordan’s performance as NBA owner in 2012. The two longtime friends are known to have had a falling out over Barkley’s comments, but the exact exchange has never been publicly revealed
“I said, ‘Man, I gotta do my job,'” Barkley continued, explaining that as an NBA analyst for TNT, he should be impartial. “We haven’t spoken to each other since that night and that was probably almost 10 years ago.”
Jordan previously told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks that he wanted to “get over the bullsh***” with Jordan, but that it was up to the six-time NBA champion to put an end to their beef.
“It’s on his side. He was my best friend at the time and I love the guy and miss him,” Barkley said.
“I thought it was over, to be honest. And he’s stubborn – and I’m stubborn – and that’s it.’
The two had been friends for more than 20 years when things fell apart in 2012, shortly after Jordan became the managing owner of Charlotte’s NBA franchise (then known as the “Bobcats”, now known as the “Hornets”).
During an interview, Barkley had suggested that Jordan should circle himself with people willing to tell him the truth, as opposed to a group of “yes” men.
Jordan’s tenure as owner of the Hornets was not particularly successful. The team have made just two playoff appearances since buying the club in 2010 and are now 15-39 in the first season of coach Steve Clifford’s second spell at Charlotte.
Kenny Smith shakes hands with Michael Jordan, his Brooklyn-born UNC graduate, before the game January 3, 1996 at the United Center
Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls and Charles Barkley #34 of the Phoenix Suns before a game at the United Center in Chicago in 1993