Fear of Guarding Michael Jordan Led Charles Barkley’s Former Teammate to Pray

Charles Barkley and his Phoenix Suns teammates had their best chance to win an NBA title against Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls.

Fear of Guarding Michael Jordan Led Charles Barkley’s Former Teammate to Pray

Michael Jordan, Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Kevin Johnson prayed before being assigned to guard Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals.
  • Despite the Suns' struggles, they won Game 3 after three overtimes, motivated by their coach's strategy.
  • Michael Jordan averaged 41 points per game in the series, proving difficult for the Suns to contain.

Before Michael Jordan retired from the NBA for the first time, he was about to face his then-best friend, Charles Barkley, and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.

‘His Airness’ and his Chicago Bulls were the favorites after winning the past two championships with the dominance that had suddenly drawn fans from all over the world.

But the ‘Round Mound of Rebound’ made his team a proven opponent after wrenching the regular-season MVP award from Jordan that season.

This meant the two would battle for the odds to become the best player and team in the league, something both friends were eager to be.

But for the Suns to win, they had to find a solution to slow Michael Jordan, who was at the time the best player in the league. As then Suns point guard Kevin Johnson detailed, it was something of a puzzle their then head coach, Paul Westphal, was struggling to solve.

Paul Westfall, our head coach, says Kevin, we trust you… You gonna guard Michael Jordan. I’m thinking this don’t even make no sense. The best defensive player can’t guard Michael Jordan. How in the world you going to put me on Michael Jordan?… I’m just dear Lord, please don’t put my name next to Michael Jordan.

Kevin Johnson said on Byron Scott’s Fast Break

The former point guard essentially was hoping for some divine intervention that would stop his head coach from going ahead with that plan, as their best defensive player could not slow Jordan in the first two games of the series.

Kevin Johnson on defending against Michael Jordan in Chicago

The Phoenix Suns had home-court advantage after finishing the regular season with the best record in the league. However, after blowing the first two games of the 1993 NBA Finals, that advantage was lost.

Michael Jordan being guarded by Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson
Michael Jordan being guarded by Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson (Image via Paul Knepper/X)

As Kevin Johnson would go on to detail, his prayers did not bear fruit as head coach Paul Westphal did give him the task of defending Michael Jordan. But somehow the tactic worked.

What it did do was it distracted me. Cause at this point, it’s fight or flight. Flight aint an option. So, we had to fight. Now, we did the jump ball, and I elbowed him. He’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m guarding you.’… It ended up working out.

Kevin Johnson revealed

The 55th Mayor of Sacramento then went on to reveal that Westphal’s tactic motivated him, Charles Barkley, and the rest of their teammates. That allowed the Phoenix Suns to win Game 3 after three overtime sessions.

That win was in front of the die-hard Chicago fans, and even though they lost Game 4, Johnson and the Suns won Game 5 again in Chicago. Winning those two games out of three in Illinois was, according to the point guard, one of the highlights of the Phoenix Suns’ history.

Michael Jordan averaged 41 points despite Suns’ schemes

When the series shifted back to Phoenix, Arizona, for Game 6, the Suns needed to win to have a chance in Game 7. That energy helped them to stage a comeback in the fourth quarter, wiping out Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ double-digit lead.

After taking the lead, they were left to defend their opponents, and all they had to do was either steal the ball or foul one of the worst late-game free-throw shooters on the Bulls.

But that tactic did not work, as the Suns gave the likes of Horace Grant and John Paxson too much space. The former, seeing this, passed the ball to his teammate, who quietly drained a 25-foot three-pointer.

It was the only score from any Bulls player other than Jordan. That and a last-second Grant block on Kevin Johnson’s attempt helped them cement their third straight NBA championship.

Michael Jordan finished the six-game series averaging 41 points per game. That is proof that no matter what the Suns tried, they could not slow the GOAT enough.

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