Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan Are Playing Golf Together, and 15 Years of Silence Just Ended

The thaw is real. After nearly 15 years of not talking, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan have reconnected, and the two NBA Hall of Famers are planning to hit the links together as soon as the basketball season wraps up.

"We had a conversation," Barkley told Sirius XM's "Mad Dog Unleashed" on Friday. "We're going to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over."

How a 2012 Critique Froze Out Two Legends

The rift started back in 2012 when Barkley went on ESPN Chicago radio and criticized Jordan's job as owner of the then-Charlotte Bobcats. Barkley was blunt about it, saying Jordan hadn't surrounded himself with people willing to challenge his decisions.

"I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job," Barkley said at the time. "Even though he is one of my great friends, I can't get on here and tell you he's done a great job. He has not done a great job, plain and simple."

That comment started a 15-year cold shoulder. Jordan became majority owner of the Bobcats in 2006 and sold his stake in the renamed Charlotte Hornets in 2023 for an approximately $3 billion valuation, keeping a minority share in the process.

The Ice Breaking

Barkley downplayed how bad things actually got between the two. "We're not like Prince William and Prince Harry. We always have a lot of love for each other," he told Sirius XM. "But we talked in the last 72 hours. We just decided to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over."

Jordan hasn't publicly commented on the planned golf outing yet. But after years of silence, the fact that these two legends are about to spend time together is the real story here. Some grudges just take a little while to work through.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.