Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history. Jordan won a record 10 scoring titles during his career, and his scoring average in the regular season (30.1 points per game) and postseason (33.4 points per game) are also the most of any player.
While Jordan made a name for himself with his scoring prowess, he was also an exceptional defender. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and made the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, tied for the most in league history. Simply put, scoring on Jordan was no walk in the park.
Bulls guard Michael Jordan and Suns forward Charles Barkley interact during the 1993 NBA Finals.Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Despite Jordan’s defensive prowess, Charles Barkley has claimed that he stood no chance at guarding him. Barkley was a terrific offensive player in his own right, who averaged 22.1 points per game during his NBA career.
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Barkley scored at will against most defenders, and he made it clear on “The Dan Patrick Show” that he had no trouble against Jordan either. The reason? Well, Barkley claims Jordan just wasn’t big enough.
“He’s too little,” Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show. “… He can’t guard me in the post. He’s too little.”
Patrick asked if Barkley had ever said that to Jordan, and the 1993 NBA MVP revealed he had.
“I’ve said it to him a thousand times,” Barkley stated. “… I say, ‘Little man, you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.'”
Jordan and Barkley used to be great friends during their playing days, but never gave each other an inch on the court. They were fiercely competitive and had many great battles over the years.
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While Barkley’s claim that Jordan couldn’t guard him could be accurate, the latter did have the upper hand when they played against each other. Of their 55 meetings in the regular season and playoffs, Jordan won 31 compared to 24 for Barkley. He put up far better numbers as well.
Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. As for Barkley, he put up 23.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
Barkley would like the world to know, though, that the Bulls used to double him with Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to limit his impact. It wasn’t Jordan slowing him, but Pippen and Grant.
Related: Charles Barkley Makes Wild Michael Jordan Statement While Discussing Cooper Flagg
