Charles Barkley shakes NBA universe by excluding Michael Jordan from NBA’s most important men
TNT NBA Analyst Charles Barkley believes Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were more important to the game of Basketball than MJ was
Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley in an ESPN Segment with Stephen A. Smith stated that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are the two most important players in NBA History, an opinion he has been firm on for quite a while. A surprising omission of Michael Jordan was pointed out by Stephen A. prompting Barkley to reason out his take. He said, “Michael comes in later and took it to another level,” referring to the Bulls’ domination in the 90s with MJ.
Charles Barkley has never been one for pulling punches. The Hall-of-Famer is one of the first players from his era to successfully transition into a media figure almost immediately after retirement. He compared the comeuppance of MJ after Magic and Bird to Tiger Woods’ rise in the PGA saying, “Michael is like the Tiger Woods effect to Jack [Nicklaus], Arnold [Palmer], and Gary Player.”
Barkley stated that the NBA before the Magic-Bird Era was perceived as a cocaine-friendly, thuggish and unpopular league. He added, “That would all change with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Every NBA player, you see Magic and Bird, you say, ‘Thank you.’ They made it a mainstream sport, and if it wasn’t for those two guys. Then, obviously, Michael is the third component. He made it a worldwide thing because of his talent and charisma. But we have to give Magic and Larry credit because, number one, they were both great players, but what they did for the game, making it mainstream, can never be underestimated.”
Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were drafted in the same year
Barkley and Jordan had an intense rivalry that sparked a friendship through the span of their careers, being drafted in the same year (1984) to the Bulls and the Sixers respectively. After some closely contested playoff battles in the East, Barkley’s trade from Philly to Phoenix led to both of them meeting in the 1993 NBA Finals.
Though MJ won the contest and completed his first threepeat, Barkley had a very good series individually. After their eventual retirements and MJ’s venturing into the ownership with The Bobcats (Hornets now), their relationship soured a little. Charles criticized MJ’s ownership troubles but has always given him his flowers as a great player.
Although the statement does sound a little controversial, it is justified and makes sense when looked at from Charles’ perspective. MJ was great but wouldn’t have had the impact he had without his predecessors.
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