Michael Jordan still has Charles Barkley guessing.
The rivals, who met in the 1993 NBA Finals and played countless rounds of golf together as one-time close friends, soon will be contemporaries in the broadcasting game.
Barkley, who put off retirement, is making the move from TNT to ESPN as a studio analyst along with the NBA’s television rights.
And Jordan, who spent 13 years as the majority owner of the Hornets, is surprisingly joining NBC as a special contributor.
Nobody – even Barkley – knows what that role entails.
“I have no idea what Michael is going to do,” Barkley said on Barstool Sports’ “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast. I don’t think he’s going to do a lot. I know he’s not going to do a lot. I was 100 percent shocked, but I don’t think he’s going to do a lot. Period.”
Adding Jordan to its coverage is a coup for NBC, which lost broadcast rights to ABC and ESPN in 2002 but is back in the game for the 2025-26 season at the expense of Barkley’s longtime home on Turner Sports.
All of Jordan’s biggest games en route to winning six NBA championships happened during the last “NBA on NBC” golden era.
Puck’s John Ourand reported that Jordan’s presence might involve more pre-taped segments than live in-studio appearances, per Awful Announcing.
Barkley and Jordan had a falling out over Barkley’s criticisms of Jordan as a team owner.
Jordan sold his stake in the Hornets in 2023.
Barkley joked that Jordan must need a break from golfing at his private club (The Grove XXIII) in Florida.
“He’s probably trying to fix The Grove,” Jordan said. “He made The Grove where you have to be able to hit the ball left or right. He’s probably trying to fix the fairways so people who play a hook can play there.”
