How MLB All-Star helped Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley squash their beef
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How MLB All-Star helped Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley squash their beef
Mark Giannotto, USA TODAY·USA TODAY Sports
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3 min read
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Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan are on speaking terms again, and Barkley revealed there's a former Major League Baseball All-Star behind the thawing of the relationship.
A turning point came last week when former MLB outfielder Vince Coleman called Barkley at his home, Barkley said on Wednesday, April 23 duringhis latest appearance on ESPN 1000's "Waddle and Silvy Show," which is also where he made the original comments that upset Jordan in 2012. Coleman informed Barkley over the phone that he was with Jordan at The Grove XXIII, Jordan's golf club in South Florida.
Michael Jordan, Laney High School (NC)
(ANNE RYAN, USA TODAY)
LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (OH)
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)
Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion High School (PA)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
Stephen Curry, Charlotte Christian School (NC)
(John Hefti, Imagn Images)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Power Memorial Academy (NY)
(Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)
Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Everett High School (MI)
(ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY)
Larry Bird, Springs Valley High School (IN)
(Rick Stewart, Getty Images)
Bill Russell, McClymonds High School (CA)
(Malcolm Emmons, Imagn Images)
Wilt Chamberlain, Overbrook High School (PA)
(Malcolm Emmons, Imagn Images)
Shaquille O'Neal, Cole High School (TX)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
Tim Duncan, St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School (U.S. Virgin Islands)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian School (MD)
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)
Allen Iverson, Bethel High School (VA)
(KIMBERLY BARTH, AFP via Getty Images)
Oscar Robertson, Crispus Attucks High School (IN)
(Malcolm Emmons, Imagn Images)
Elgin Baylor, Spingarn High School (DC)
(Darryl Norenberg, Imagn Images)
Jerry West, East Bank High School (WV)
(Manny Rubio, Imagn Images)
Julius Erving, Roosevelt High School (NY)
(Damian Strohmeyer, Getty Images)
Moses Malone, Petersburg High School (VA)
(Rick Stewart, Getty Images)
Kevin Garnett, Farragut Career Academy (IL)/Mauldin High School (SC)
(CRAIG LASSIG, AFP via Getty Images)
Charles Barkley, Leeds High School (AL)
(Imagn Images)
Karl Malone, Summerfield High School (LA)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
David Robinson, Osbourn Park High School (VA)
(Porter Binks, USA TODAY)
Isiah Thomas, St. Joseph High School (IL)
(Imagn Images)
John Havlicek, Bridgeport High School (OH)
(Tony Tomsic, Imagn Images)
Pete Maravich, Daniel High School (SC)
(Manny Rubio, Imagn Images)
Chris Paul, West Forsyth High School (NC)
(Chris Coduto, Getty Images)
Meadowlark Lemon, Wiliston High School (NC)
(Jack Corn, The Tennessean via USA TODAY Network)
Dwyane Wade, Harold L. Richards High School (IL)
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
1/28
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Michael Jordan, Laney High School (NC)
(ANNE RYAN, USA TODAY)
1/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Michael Jordan, Laney High School (NC)
(ANNE RYAN, USA TODAY)
2/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (OH)
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)
3/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion High School (PA)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
4/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Stephen Curry, Charlotte Christian School (NC)
(John Hefti, Imagn Images)
5/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Power Memorial Academy (NY)
(Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)
6/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Everett High School (MI)
(ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY)
7/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Larry Bird, Springs Valley High School (IN)
(Rick Stewart, Getty Images)
8/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Bill Russell, McClymonds High School (CA)
(Malcolm Emmons, Imagn Images)
9/28
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Wilt Chamberlain, Overbrook High School (PA)
(Malcolm Emmons, Imagn Images)
10/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Shaquille O'Neal, Cole High School (TX)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
11/28
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Tim Duncan, St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School (U.S. Virgin Islands)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
12/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian School (MD)
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)
13/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Allen Iverson, Bethel High School (VA)
(KIMBERLY BARTH, AFP via Getty Images)
14/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Oscar Robertson, Crispus Attucks High School (IN)
(Malcolm Emmons, Imagn Images)
15/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Elgin Baylor, Spingarn High School (DC)
(Darryl Norenberg, Imagn Images)
16/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Jerry West, East Bank High School (WV)
(Manny Rubio, Imagn Images)
17/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Julius Erving, Roosevelt High School (NY)
(Damian Strohmeyer, Getty Images)
18/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Moses Malone, Petersburg High School (VA)
(Rick Stewart, Getty Images)
19/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Kevin Garnett, Farragut Career Academy (IL)/Mauldin High School (SC)
(CRAIG LASSIG, AFP via Getty Images)
20/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Charles Barkley, Leeds High School (AL)
(Imagn Images)
21/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Karl Malone, Summerfield High School (LA)
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
22/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
David Robinson, Osbourn Park High School (VA)
(Porter Binks, USA TODAY)
23/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Isiah Thomas, St. Joseph High School (IL)
(Imagn Images)
24/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
John Havlicek, Bridgeport High School (OH)
(Tony Tomsic, Imagn Images)
25/28
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Pete Maravich, Daniel High School (SC)
(Manny Rubio, Imagn Images)
26/28
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Chris Paul, West Forsyth High School (NC)
(Chris Coduto, Getty Images)
27/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
Meadowlark Lemon, Wiliston High School (NC)
(Jack Corn, The Tennessean via USA TODAY Network)
28/28
Who's the NBA's GOAT? 30 players who have the best claim
"(Coleman) says, 'Yo, I'm down here at The Grove. I'm sick of you and MJ's BS. He's right here. Y'all need to talk. And we had a conversation," Barkley recounted to the show's hosts. "But Vince Coleman's the person who's responsible. We talked for a couple minutes. He's like, 'Man, let's get together and play golf,' and as soon as I get a break, I'm going to fly down there and we're going to spend a couple days playing golf."
Jordan and Barkley were rivals and superstars in the NBA and Olympic teammates with the original Dream Team in 1992. Jordan'sChicago Bullsbeat Barkley'sPhoenix Sunsin the 1993 NBA Finals, the same year Barkley won his lone MVP award. Coleman played 13 MLB seasons (1985-97), with the majority of his career spent with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets.
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Jordan became the owner of theCharlotte Bobcatsin 2006 and Barkley has been an outspoken mainstay on "Inside the NBA," providing commentary on the league since his retirement.
Vince Coleman of the New York Mets looks on during a game at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York in 1992.
Barkley criticized Jordan in 2012 for not surrounding himself with enough people willing to disagree with his decisions as the owner of Charlotte's NBA franchise, noting that "I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job."
Jordan sold his majority stake in the now-Charlotte Hornetsin 2023 and currently owns the 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team along with longtime NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
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Barkley said Wednesday the feud between he and Jordan isn't as bad as it may have seemed, simply because they hadn't spoken in so long.
"I tell people, it's not like we're like Prince Harry and Prince William who hate each other," Barkley said. "Honestly, I think we both missed each other because we've had this conversation with other friends and we were both too stubborn to pick up the phone."
"One thing we both said," Barkley added, "I got a lot of love for you and you got a lot of love for me. Like Vince said, this thing has been silly and stupid, but both of y'all are too damn stubborn to pick up the phone, and y'all need to get ... together and play golf and bury this thing."
