Charles Barkley Rips NBC For Michael Jordan As A "Special Contributor"

Where’s Jordan? That’s what Charles Barkley and NBA fans want to know. The onetime friends no longer speak, apparently, but what’s got under Barkley’s skin these days is that Jordan was advertised as part of the NBA on NBC lineup, but only excerpts of a single interview have dropped.

“I was excited to have Michael because Michael Jordan is the reason we all make this money from the NBA,” Barkley said on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “We need Michael Jordan affiliated with the NBA. But now you see this thing coming out with NBC, and you’re like, ‘Wait, you all did one interview five months ago, and you’re just gonna sprinkle it throughout the season?’ Come on, man. That’s disingenuous by NBC. That’s crazy. I’m so disappointed at the way that worked out.”

The NBA on NBC returned to the network after 23 years. They promised that Jordan would be a ‘special contributor,’ but as it turns out, they’re simply playing excerpts from an interview Mike Tirico conducted in August. Tirico confirmed recently that no second conversation is planned.

“It’s a bad look to do one interview and splice it up throughout the season,” Barkley told Dan Patrick on his show. “Like they couldn’t fly down there once a month to sit down with Michael for an hour? I thought it was great to have Michael back in the NBA. But now you look and he’s wearing the same outfit from August.”

Jordan, 62, has been in the news this year for his racing team’s successful lawsuit against NASCAR, which could certainly be a topic of discussion. However, he’s provided very little public comment about the victory, making a brief statement when the lawsuit was settled.

Or, as Barkley pointed out, Jordan could opine on the various controversies surrounding the current NBA – from where Giannis Antetokounmpo might play next, to Ja Morant, to the league’s challenges with figuring out how to bring a better product to the hardwood. Barkley suggested NBC just head down to Florida, where Jordan lives, and ask the questions we’d all like him to answer.

“So much has happened in the NBA, what he talked about in August has nothing to do with January (now February), Barley said. “Also ask him stuff that’s relevant in sports. Wouldn’t you like to hear his opinion on Bill Belichick?”

Barkley and Jordan were once good friends who golfed together, but in 2012, Barkley’s criticism of Jordan’s handling of the Charlotte Bobcats created a permanent rift in their relationship.

“It’s a really unfortunate situation for me and him. He was my best friend at the time, and I loved the guy, and I miss the guy. I’ll always love him like a brother, but I’m a do my job first and foremost.”

Jordan is a basketball icon who played 15 seasons in the NBA. Thirteen of those seasons were with the Chicago Bulls, which won six championships in his prime. Jordan is widely viewed as the game’s greatest player of all time, and his Nike shoe deal created the modern sneakerhead industry.

But he’s also known as prickly, thick-skinned, and highly competitive, as shown in ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary, which showcases Jordan’s final championship season with the Bulls.

Much of social media was also upset with Jordan’s misframed media roll.