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Barkley wishes he could mend the rift between himself and his former friend.

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley recently made an appearance on ESPN Radio in Chicago. During the show, the topic eventually shifted to Michael Jordan, and Barkley’s tone turned somber. Barkley and Jordan used to be one of the most well-known pairs of athlete friends in the NBA, or any western sport. However, that friendship abruptly ended after Barkley made some choice comments on Jordan’s business decisions during his time as executive of the former Charlotte Bobcats.

“The thing that bothered me the most about that whole thing, I don’t think that I said anything that bad,” Barkley said. “I’m pretty sure I said, ‘As much as I love Michael, until he stops hiring them kiss-a–es, and his best friends, he’s never going to be successful as a general manager.’ And I remember pretty much verbatim I said that.”

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Barkley said that he didn’t expect Jordan to take the remarks so heavily, as it was his understanding that honesty was the cornerstone of their friendship. “Listen, if you’re famous, and Michael at one point was the most famous person in the world, everybody around you is either on the payroll or letting you buy drinks and dinner and flying around on your private jet. Very few of your friends are going to be honest with you,” he said. “But I thought that was one of the reasons we were great friends. Like, ‘I can ask Charles anything and I know he’s going to give me a straight answer.’ But part of my job [as an analyst] is, because I can’t go on TV and say ‘Another general manager sucks’ and then just because Michael’s like a brother to me say ‘He’s doing a fantastic job.’ That would be disingenuous.”

Barkley said that he wishes he could mend the rift between them, but unfortunately, though Barkley respects Jordan as one of the NBA greats, their relationship may have been permanently damaged. “The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years,” he said. “At least 20-something years. And I do, I feel sadness.”