Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley competed in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament over the weekend, but the real story in Lake Tahoe was Ray Romano’s hilarious jokes. Just kidding, nobody cares about Ray. But NBC still cares about LeBron James signing with the Miami Heat and his good friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, so reporters asked the two legendary former NBA stars what they thought about this union of epic *fart noise* proportions, and they each gave their opinion, albeit in dissimilar fashions.
Jordan, the consummate gentleman and owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, recognized that there’s a difference between the LeBron NBA* and the Jordan NBA, and while he doesn’t necessarily agree with how James, Wade and Bosh have done things, he doesn’t fault them either. But he also didn’t hold back in whipping it out, measuring it and reminding everyone that he’s Michael F-ing Jordan.
Retire for a season to suck at baseball, New York Post:
“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry (Bird), called up Magic (Johnson) and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,’ ” Jordan said on NBC after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada.
“But that’s … things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”
BOOM! In your face, LeBron! Well, not really. Jordan’s comments are true nonetheless, because he, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson would have never played together because of loyalty to their teams and the difference between exposure and the global market between now and then. And, of course, there’s the whole competitive aspect.
Barkley, on the other hand, just thinks the way that LeBron made his announcement, via ESPN’s The Decision, was “ridiculous.” However, earlier in the week he told 790 the Ticket in Miami a bolder opinion of the Miami Thrice.
“He’ll never be Jordan,” Barkley told 790 the Ticket in Miami earlier in the week. “This clearly takes him out of the conversation. He can win as much as he wants to.
“There would have been something honorable about staying in Cleveland and trying to win it as ‘The Man’ … LeBron, if he would’ve in Cleveland, and if he could’ve got a championship there, it would have been over the top for his legacy, just one in Cleveland. No matter how many he wins in Miami, it clearly is Dwyane Wade’s team.”
Meanwhile, when reached for comment Karl Malone pulled out his cell phone and yelled, “Hello? Miami Heat? Why yes, I’d love to come play for you!”
*We all know it’s the Kobe NBA
Full videos of Jordan’s and Barkley’s comments below:
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He couldn’t have called up Larry anyway. Bird didn’t even own a phone until 2007.
Bird also said today that he wouldn’t have ever played with Magic. Probably because of the AIDS thing.
Is Jordan so fucking retarded as to think that D. Wade is Magic Johnson or Chris Bosh is Larry Bird?!?!?!?
Are you fucking kidding me? Then who’s Kobe in his metaphor? Oh, that’s right, its not a metaphor, but rather, just another self-aggrandizing moment for the most pompous dickbag in the history of sport.
Hey Michael – go trade undies with Charlie Sheen and shut the fuck up!
Yes, AB, he truly believes that Chris Bosh took the ‘Sammy Sosa’ skin treatment to transform into Larry Bird; and D. Wade has been hard at work getting AIDS to become Magic. He should have closely reviewed career stats to make a completely accurate comparison, I mean.. its not like he just threw 2 of the top names from his era off the top of his head after a golf outing or anything.
(Are you Craig Ehlo?)
Charles Barkley also added, “What LeBron did to Cleveland is turrible. Even more turrible than what I did to Saturday Night Live.”
Now I’m going to go out on a limb here and propose the idea that maybe, JUST MAYBE, Michael Jordan is a bit of a jerk.
Yea, Michael, sure. You’d spend 7 years playing without a single all-star caliber player (Mo Wiliam’s bullshit selection one year doesn’t count) and never want to go play with better teammates. Of Course.
And Wade and Bosh are OBVIOUSLY as good as Bird and Magic.
And it’s also true that Elite players NEVER win NBA titles with other great players. Except Bird, McHale, and Parish. And Magic, Kareem, and Worthy. And Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman. And Hakeem and Clyde. And Kobe and Shaq.
@David MJ played a number of years with shitty teammates.
The difference is that those other great players were acquired via trade or signing. Teams were built. They didn’t call each other up and decide to play together. Or grow a vag join another guy’s team. (Bosh gets a pass here). AND OBVIOUSLY he was throwing out two top names from his time. Jackass.
Hey david, I guess in hindsight he should have used ralph sampson and magic to fit your accurate analogies hard-on.
@David: Last time I checked (about 20 seconds ago) Ilgauskas was a 2-time Allstar and Antawn Jamison was a 2-time Allstar. Additionally, they traded for 15 time All star Shaquille O’Neal, who was coming off an all-star year. Add in Mo Williams (Which we can or cannot count, depending on how you feel) and that’s 20 All-star game appearances between them. This may or may not disprove your theory that LeBron never played with a single All-Star Caliber player. (My guess is it disproves it to everyone but you, David). Note: You only said “caliber”, so don’t go on saying they don’t count because they didn’t all happen with the Cavs.
If Shaq was 6’6″ he would have never even made the NBA. Lazy only makes you a superstar if you are a genetic freak. Or Jack Black.