Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan Do Not Agree Politically
Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were two of the NBA's all-time greats during the 1990s. Jordan, who won six championships, and Barkley, an all-time power forward, were not only great competitors, but good friends. They won a gold medal together at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and often played golf and gambled together.
But in recent years, Barkley and Jordan's friendship became strained. Barkley was critical of Jordan's tenure leading the Charlotte Hornets. Jordan, one of the most competitive people ever, did not take kindly to Jordan's remarks.
So, their friendship had a falling out.
But they are now working on improving things.
Barkley told Chris Russo that progress is being made on the friendship.
"We had a conversation," Barkley told Russo. "We're going to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over."
Barkley made it known that he always "had a lot of love" for Jordan, despite their public rift.
"We're not like Prince William and Prince Harry. We always had a lot of love for each other. But we talked, actually, in the last probably 72 hours. We decided to get together and play golf as soon as basketball is over."
But while Barkley and Jordan have a lot in common, they are not on the same page politically.
Barkley, Jordan take different political approaches
Barkley has been extremely public with his political thoughts, going after President Trump and others.
He does not hesitate to offer up criticism. He just got very political during the NCAA Tournament, after all.
"The way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace," Barkley said live on the air during March Madness.
"I think there's a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants, and I think what's going on in our country, what we're doing to some of these amazing immigrants, is really unfortunate and it's really sad."
"That's a great immigrant story … but some of the stuff happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate and is really unfair, but immigrants built this country, and we should admire them and respect them."
Jordan, meanwhile, chooses to keep most of his political thoughts to himself. He's infamously known for saying "Republicans buy shoes, too."
But while Jordan keeps most of his political opinions to himself, unlike Barkley, that doesn't mean he completely disagrees with everything that Barkley has said.
In 2020, Jordan stood firm with Black Lives Matter. He donated $100 million to improving racial inequalities.
"We have been beaten down [as African Americans] for so many years. It sucks your soul," he said in 2020 according to The Washington Post. "You can't accept it anymore. This is a tipping point. We need to make a stand. We've got to be better as a society regarding race."
Jordan also donated $2.5 million to fighting Black voter suppression, as he continued to put his money in use.
"We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls," Jordan said in a statement.
"We know it will take time for us to create the change we want to see, but we are working quickly to take action for the Black Community's voice to be heard."
So, while Barkley and Jordan might not agree politically in terms of how to use their voice, they probably have more in common than suggested.
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 12:57 PM.