The ESPN star tasked with ending one of Michael Jordan's most bitter NBA feuds revealed
Jordan and Barkley are two of the greatest basketball players of all time and the Hall of Famers were once 'best friends.' But in 2022, Barkley revealed they hadn't spoken in almost 10 years.
The feud dates back to comments Barkley made in 2012, when he said Jordan had 'not done a good job' as a majority owner of the then-Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets).
Later this year, Jordan will return to the NBA as 'special contributor' with NBC. Barkley is already a hugely popular pundit with 'Inside the NBA.'
In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, 'Chuck' insisted he and Jordan are not on-air 'rivals' or 'in competition.' Instead, he is 'glad to have him back.'
But Wilbon has now revealed that he is tasked with re-building bridges between the two Hall of Famers.
The ESPN star (above) recently helped to repair Barkley's relationship with Kendrick Perkins
'That has been my job,' Wilbon said on ' Pablo Torre Finds Out,' before suggesting it remained a work in progress. 'And that's all I will say about it,' Wilbon continued. 'It's been my assigned job.'
The ESPN star was recently credited with helping to repair Barkley's relationship with NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins.
'Chuck' opened up on his feud with Jordan in 2022, admitting that losing the Bulls legend as a friend was 'probably the most prominent thing that's happened to me.'
'I think probably, me and Michael were best friends,' he told Tom Brady's 'Let's Go!' podcast.
'But I was being honest about what I thought. I said, "The toughest thing about Michael, he's got to put better people around him."
'Because the toughest thing, when you're famous, they're on your private jet, you're buying all the drinks, you're buying all the dinners. Very few people are gonna be honest with you.
'I try to surround myself with people like, "Hey, if I'm screwing up, please tell me." And Michael got offended about something I said about him.
And we haven't spoken in probably almost 10 years. And he was my best friend at the time. And I love the dude like a brother and we're both stubborn and we haven't talked.'
Barkley is part of the popular 'Inside the NBA' crew, which will be shown on ESPN and ABC from next season after TNT lost broadcast rights.
He and Jordan were also rivals on the court for more than a decade but 'Chuck' told the Daily Mail: 'We're all promoting the same sport. And that's the good thing about it... we're both trying to make sure the game grows.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Braves' pair of solo shots not enough to overcome Yankees
July 20 - Aaron Judge homered to move up a notch on New York's all-time list and the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Sunday to win their three-game interleague series. It was New York's first series win against Atlanta since 2021, and its first series win on the road since June 10-12 at Kansas City. Judge hit a solo shot, his 36th, came against Grant Holmes in the first inning. It was Judge's first homer in Atlanta's Truist Park, the 32nd major league park in which he has homered. The blast was the 351st of his career and moved Judge into a tie with Alex Rodriguez for sixth place on the team's all-time list. Judge went 1-for-4 with a walk on the day. The winning pitcher was Marcus Stroman (2-1), who worked six innings, his longest stint of the season, and allowed one run on five hits with four strikeouts. In four starts since returning from the injured list, Stroman is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Devin Williams earned his 14th save. Holmes (4-9) pitched six innings and allowed three runs on seven hits, two walks and two strikeouts. The Yankees scored twice in the first inning. Paul Goldschmidt followed Judge's home run with a two-out RBI single. New York added a run in the sixth. After third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. saved a run with an aggressive throw to the plate to nail Giancarlo Stanton at the plate, Holmes hit Jorbit Vivas with a pitch to force home a run. Atlanta cut the lead to 3-1 in the sixth on Matt Olson's 18th homer, a blast measured at 442 feet that landed on the roof of the restaurant in right field and bounced out of the ballpark. New York got the run back in the seventh when Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined a double to left-center that scored Judge. Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his 13th homer in the ninth, a shot to center field that carried 456 feet. --Field Level Media
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS NFL first-round draft pick Noah Fant cut by his team three days before camp
Seattle Seahawks ' offseason of upheaval took another twist on Sunday with tight end Noah Fant released by the team. Fant, a 2019 first round draft pick for the Denver Broncos, played 48 games for the Seahawks after moving to Seattle as part of the 2022 trade that moved Russell Wilson to Denver. The 27-year-old Fant recorded 130 receptions for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns in his three years in Seattle but now is looking for a new team. The move frees up nearly $9million in salary cap space for the Seahawks and the organization says the move will likely see more opportunities for AJ Barner. The Seahawks welcome players back for the first day of camp from July 23, where a new era will begin for the team with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. His predecessor, Geno Smith, was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this year as Tom Brady led a rebuild of the AFC West organization. Smith reunited with his former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll in Vegas. Darnold enjoyed an impressive year with the Minnesota Vikings last season, although his campaign was blighted by his form stuttering as the team made the playoffs. He signed a three-year, $100.5million deal with the team.
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Xander Bogaerts, Padres pour it on early to beat Nationals
July 20 - Xander Bogaerts had a first-inning grand slam among his two hits, Nick Pivetta pitched six strong innings and the San Diego Padres beat the host Washington Nationals 8-1 on Sunday, taking the rubber game of the series. Elias Diaz had a home run and a single, and Jake Cronenworth added two doubles for the Padres, who have won five of seven. Pivetta (10-2) allowed a run on three hits, struck out five and walked one. In his last five starts, Pivetta is 3-0 with a 0.57 ERA, 36 strikeouts and six walks. Riley Adams homered for the Washington run and Luis Garcia Jr. and Paul DeJong each had two hits. The Nationals have lost six of seven. Washington All-Star MacKenzie Gore (4-9) endured his worst outing of the season, allowing eight runs on eight hits -- two of them home runs -- in 2 1/3 innings. The Padres jumped on Gore in the first. Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a walk, Luis Arraez singled and Manny Machado walked to load the bases. Bogaerts then turned on a first-pitch fastball, homering to left to make it 4-0. Before the inning was over, Jose Iglesias and Cronenworth hit back-to-back doubles for another run. With two outs in the second, Machado walked, Bogaerts singled and Gavin Sheets lined a single to center off shortstop CJ Abrams' glove to make it 6-0. Cronenworth doubled leading off the third and Bryce Johnson bunted him to third. Diaz homered to left on a 2-0 pitch to increase the lead to 8-0 and end Gore's afternoon. Adams homered to center off Pivetta with two outs in the fifth to make it 8-1. Washington's James Wood lined a single to right-center in the bottom of the sixth inning to snap a career-worst 0-for-20 skid. The Nationals loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Bryan Hoeing retired Abrams on a fly to left. --Field Level Media
