"I said, 'Who's better than me?', he said, 'That motherf**ker right there!" - Charles Barkley on being sick of people telling him that 14-time All-Star was better than him
Charles Barkley was known as one of the most competitive stars in the NBA during his playing career. The Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns legend never lacked confidence and believed he was one of the best basketball players in the world.
After spending the early portion of his career with the 76ers, Barkley was eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns. It was a move that gave him the best chance to compete for an NBA championship. The only problem that Barkley had to deal with was a player by the name of Michael Jordan.
During his time at the Olympics as a member of the legendary "Dream Team," Barkley got to spend time with some of the greatest players in the NBA.
On a recent episode of "The Pivot Podcast," Charles Barkley recalled an exchange with then-head coach Chuck Daly. During the exchange, Daly told Barkley that he was the second-best basketball player in the world compared to Michael Jordan.
Barkley stated that Daly's words motivated him to show the world that he could beat Jordan and secure an NBA championship:
"Chuck Daly said to me, he's like, 'Charles, can I talk to you for a second.' I say, 'Yeah Chuck, anything.' He says, 'You're the second-best basketball player in the world.' I said, 'Who better than me?' ... He says, 'That mother*****r right there'."
"I said, 'You're right about that.' I've said it many times, that's the best compliment I've ever gotten from somebody. I said, 'I actually agree with you'. I said, 'But you know what? I'm gonna put an end to that shit next year. We're playing them mother*****rs in the finals and I'm gonna bring it'."
Charles Barkley shares a story about wanting to defeat Michael Jordan
There is no denying that Charles Barkley is one of the greatest forwards in NBA history. In his first season with the Phoenix Suns (1992-93), Barkley was the engine behind the top team in the Western Conference.
Phoenix would go on to finish 62-20, giving them the top seed in the West. They eventually moved on to the NBA Finals, where they faced Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
ESPNMarch 30, 1993: Kevin Johnson had 23 PTS & 16 AST, Cedric Ceballos scored 27 PTS and Charles Barkley added 26 PTS as Phoenix beat Chicago 113-109 in a preview of the '93 NBA Finals.
Michael Jordan scored 44 PTS to lead the Bulls. The Suns improved to 53-15 with the win.
📺 ESPN https://t.co/fxL8dRZNSe
During the podcast episode, Barkley went into detail about how he was convinced that the strength of his new team would help him get past Jordan and the Bulls. He shared a story about how he immediately made it known to his teammates that they were going to take down the Bulls.
Unfortunately for Barkley, the Suns lost the finals 4-2. Barkley said it was the first time in his life that he realized there was someone better than him at basketball:
"When I got to Phoenix, I told those guys the first day, I said, 'Guys, we're going to the finals, we're going to play that mother*****r from Chicago.' I said I'm sick of people telling me he's better than me, I just didn't have no help in Philly and I said we're going to play them in the championship."
"And we got there and they beat us and that was the first time I ever said in my life damn I think there's somebody better than me at basketball."
While it wasn't a storybook ending for Barkley, the NBA legend still enjoyed an impressive season with the Phoenix Suns.
That year, Barkley posted averages of 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.