While Charles Barkley And Michael Jordan's Friendship Deteriorated, LeBron James And Dwayne Wade Have Grown Closer
Both sets of players entered the NBA in the same draft year.
Both became friends once they entered the league. Both had Hall of Fame careers.
The difference now is one pair is no longer acquaintances while the other's bond is continuously improving.
Earlier this week, it was revealed NBA greats Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were no longer friends. This comes just a week after LeBron James and his family arrived to show support at the premiere of Dwyane Wade's wife, Gabrielle Union, new film in Los Angeles.
Two sets of the NBA's Top 75 players. Two different outcomes.
Barkley recently said he and Jordan have not spoken in 10 years despite being golf buddies during their playing and post-careers.
He touched on the subject during an appearance on the podcast “Let’s Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray.”
"I think probably, me and Michael [Jordan] were best friends, that's probably the most prominent thing," said Barkley, now a TNT analyst "… Michael Jordan, losing his friendship was probably the most prominent thing that's happened to me. But I was being honest about what I thought. I said, 'Listen, the toughest thing about Michael, he's got to put better people around him.' Because the toughest thing, when you're famous, they're on your private jet, you're buying all the drinks, you're buying all the dinners. Very few people are gonna be honest with you. And I try to surround myself with people like, `Hey, if I'm screwing up, please tell me."'
Jordan and Barkley were part of the 1984 draft class while Wade and James entered in 2003. Wade and James have since grown closer, teaming to win a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics and later won two championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. There are photos of them on the famed "Banana Boat" while vacationing with Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul in the Bahamas in 2015 that will always signify their friendship.
Sadly, it appears the same won't happen for Barkley and Jordan.
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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog https://allball30.wordpress.com
