Over the years, many iconic stories about Michael Jordan have emerged, attesting not only to his greatness on the court, but also to the relentless competition and extreme desire to win that characterized him. In a career that included six championships and many other achievements, Jordan also knew how to have fun off the court.
Golf was one of the sports he really enjoyed and used as a way to relieve the stress of basketball. And it was during the 1993 NBA Finals, when the Chicago Bulls were down 2-1 to the Phoenix Suns, that Jordan decided to take a golf trip.
The Bulls' opponents in that final were the Phoenix Suns, led by the legendary Charles Barkley – who was a close friend of Jordan's at the time. "Chuck" joined Jordan in golf, and according to former Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach, "His Airness" suggested giving Barkley a pair of $20,000 diamond earrings during that trip.
Bach, who was part of the Bulls' staff during the first "three-peat", asked Jordan about the gift, and the six-time NBA champion replied:
"He won't be bothering me again during the series. What's $20 to me? Charles thinks we're great friends. I hate that stinking fat."
In Game 55 of the series, Jordan scored 111 points and led the Bulls to a 105–2 victory, tying the series at 2–32. Barkley also had a stellar performance with a XNUMX-point triple-double, but from that point on, the series was dominated by Chicago, who won the next two games and secured their third consecutive title.
That season, Barkley had won the league's MVP award, something Jordan had not taken well to professionally. The NBA Finals were the perfect moment to prove to everyone who was the best, but off the court, Jordan and Barkley had a good friendship.
However, they no longer speak to each other today. In a recent interview on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Barkley denied the rumor that he was "bought" as a gift during the finals.
"First of all, Mike and I had made a deal that we would stay away from each other during the finals. Now, he did give me diamond earrings for Christmas - that's true. But this rumor that he invited me to golf during the finals to seduce me is 100% false," Barkley clarified.
Jordan's performance in the six-game series against the Suns was his best ever in an NBA Finals, averaging 41 points per game. However, Barkley didn't disappoint either: he finished the series averaging 27 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists per game – another testament to the high level of the showdown between the two legends.
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