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"Don't worry. He can't fight a lick" - Charles Barkley on why he wasn't afraid to roast Michael Jordan
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- "Don't worry. He can't fight a lick" - Charles Barkley on why he wasn't afraid to roast Michael Jordan
Back in 2010, Michael Jordan made the odd decision to wear a toothbrush mustache in a Hanes commercial. His former good buddy, Charles Barkley, couldn't help but make fun of the facial hair that has been closely associated with the infamous Adolf Hitler.
In a guest appearance on Conan on TBS later that year, Barkley and host Conan O'Brien discussed the commercial, with the NBA legend teasing Jordan at length. Charles joked that MJ would probably get mad if he brought it up. When O'Brien replied that he should be scared of Jordan, Barkley ended the roast with one of his best lines that night.
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"Don't worry, he can't fight a lick," he said.
Just one of MJ's many mistakes
It's unclear why Jordan thought it was a good idea to rock that kind of mustache when he should have known the backlash it would get. Maybe he didn't expect people would notice. Or perhaps he had a bone to pick with Hanes.
It's also possible that he was trying to channel his inner Charlie Chaplin, who was the first to make the style popular before it was hijacked by a certain Austrian-born German dictator.
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Whatever the case, Jordan probably regretted sporting the mustache. The good news is that it wasn't one of the worst mistakes he committed after retiring from playing. None of them could have compared to his many wrong decisions as the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets​
In his defense, Jordan likely did not treat them as mistakes, especially given the investment he made in purchasing a majority stake in the franchise. He shelled out $275 million in 2010 to become the majority owner and helped transform it into a profitable venture. Thirteen years later, he sold his shares to the ownership group of Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall for $2.77 billion in 2023. That was nearly a 1,000 percent return on investment for 13 years of hard work.
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Once brothers
Some might say that Jordan was still culpable for Charlotte's inability to experience as much success as they could have during his ownership stint. Barkley was among those people. And sadly, it was the reason behind the falling out between him and Jordan.
During Jordan's tenure as team owner, Barkley had already become one of the prominent voices off the court as a broadcaster and analyst. He has never been one to hold back when dishing out criticisms, and he didn't offer an exception for MJ. As it turned out, the six-time NBA champion took it personally and was apparently willing to burn bridges even with one of his best friends.
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Just like that, one of the supposedly strongest friendships in the league went down the drain. It is certainly tragic because it has consequently prevented us from watching the two bicker and engage in hilarious banter.
Thinking about it now, it is likely better that Jordan knew how to fight, so that he could have just duked it out with Barkley when the latter constantly carped at him and then let bygones be bygones afterward.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
