Michael Jordan once stopped Chicago Bulls trading Scottie Pippen to a rival side because he didn’t want to play alongside the other player, despite having a good relationship.
Jordan is the best known basketball player to ever take the court, helped by his legendary status as the face and name of Nike’s Air Jordans.
He made most of his money from the shoe deal although history could have been very different if he’d signed for one of Nike’s biggest rivals instead.
On the court though he was ranked as the greatest of all time by 108 current NBA players after a career that saw him win six NBA winners’ rings.
His impact on the NBA is unquestionable and that final season of him winning the championship was during Netflix’s ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries, which kept us all entertained during Covid lockdown three years ago.
As well as Jordan a lot of the series also focused on Pippen, won won all six of the titles alongside Jordan for the famous Bulls’ side.
Things may have been very different in 1997 however as Pippen became unhappy in Chicago and asked to be traded to another team.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls wanted Charles Barkley from the Houston Rockets but Jordan didn’t want his friend to join.
“No, no, no,” Jordan said at the time, “Charles needs to stay right where he is. I love him like a brother, but I don’t think I could play with him.”
The pair became friends when they met at Olympic trials in 1984 for the Los Angeles games, although only MJ went on to make the team.
He was also the team’s top points scorer as they won the gold medal, Barkley impressed at trials but didn’t make the team because he clashed with coach Bob Knight.
Despite not playing at the games together the pair had also built up quite the bond, leading to Barkley calling Jordan his ‘older brother,’ despite there only being three days between them in age.
Speaking on the Icons Club podcast, the Bulls legend may have revealed why he didn’t want to play alongside his ‘younger brother’ in Chicago.
Talking about the 1993 NBA Finals, the 60-year-old said: “I wasn’t worried about Barkley. Cause I didn’t think he had the work ethic to beat us. And because I think he didn’t like to practice.
“But he was a genuine friend, don’t get me wrong! I also thought he was very funny, I enjoyed spending time with him. We liked playing golf.”
Source: sportbible.com
