Once upon a time, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley—two of the biggest NBA stars of their generation—were friends and rivals. Now, the pair is going on 10 years without speaking to each other. That’s the situation Barkley described Tuesday in an interview with Bleacher Report‘s Taylor Rooks, where he dove into what caused the split between the two Hall of Famers. As Barkley recalls, the trouble began when he was publicly critical of Jordan’s decision-making as the owner and lead executive of the Hornets. “It’s a really unfortunate situation for me and him. But I’m going to do my job, first and foremost. Because I can’t criticize other coaches and general managers, and give him a pass because he’s my best friend,” Barkley said. “I just can’t do that. What I said was, ‘Michael’s got to surround himself with better people. And I worry about him being successful.’”
