Charles Barkley Names Greatest Player in NBA History Without Hesitation
Charles Barkley Names Greatest Player in NBA History Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Charles Barkley has had a remarkable Hall of Fame NBA career, and he's carried that success over into sports media as an analyst for TNT, which over the weekend wrapped up its final NBA on TNT episode, featuring the core four of Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Barkley himself.
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On Monday, he appeared on the "Dan Patrick Show," and while much of the interview focused on his time with TNT—which spanned 24 years—and what the future holds as the four of them transition to ESPN for the next NBA season, it also featured a few stories.
One story Barkley highlighted was about the time he decided to wear Michael Jordan's sneakers in an NBA game prior to Jordan's retirement, as a tribute to his career. The moment sparked a strong reaction from Barkley, who declared Jordan the greatest basketball player ever—without hesitation—while humorously pointing out how heavy the shoes were..
"I put his shoes on one game... he definitely the greatest damn basketball player ever. Damn. Those were the heaviest things I've ever played in my life," Barkley said. "I played in those Air Jordans one game, and it was like I had bricks on my feet. I played in them one game as a tribute to him. I said, 'You really are the damn GOAT. You play in these bricks.'"
Barkley has often paid his fair share of respect to the greats who have come through the game—including LeBron James, the other player frequently debated as the greatest of all time alongside Michael Jordan. However, Barkley spent a long portion of his career competing against Jordan, and also briefly as teammates on Team USA.
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Jordan and Barkley faced off a total of 55 times during their careers—39 of those matchups came in the regular season, while the other 16 took place in the playoffs.
TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley.Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Barkley actually had more success against Jordan than most players did, winning 24 of those 55 head-to-head games. That said, Jordan got the better of him when it mattered most—defeating Barkley and the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. They never met in the playoffs again, and Barkley eventually retired in 2000.
Related: Wayne Gretzky Names Greatest NBA Player of All Time Without Hesitation
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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