Over the years, many iconic stories about Michael Jordan have appeared, certifying not only his greatness on the field but also showing the relentless competition and the desire to win intensely, his characteristics. In his career, including six championships and many other achievements, Jordan also knows how to enjoy the joy in the field.

Golf is one of the sports that he really likes and uses as a way to relieve the stress of basketball. And in the 1993 NBA final, when Chicago Bulls was led by Phoenix Suns 2-1, Jordan decided to play golf.

Bulls’ opponent in the final was Phoenix Suns, led by the legendary Charles Barkley – who was a close friend of Jordan at the time. “Chuck” participated in golf with Jordan, and according to former assistant coach of Bulls, Johnny Bach, “His Airness” suggested to give Barkley a pair of diamond earrings worth $ 20,000 on that trip.

Bach, a member of Bulls’s team in the first three consecutive three times, asked Jordan about the gift and the NBA champion of this six times answered:

“He won’t bother me anymore throughout the movie. What does $ 20 mean to me? Charles think we are good friends. I hate that fatty thing.”

In the 55th match of the series, Jordan scored 111 points and led Bulls to the 105–2 victory, equal to the score 2–32. Barkley also had a good performance with a Triple-Double Xnumx, but from that time, the series has been dominated by Chicago, the team has won the next two matches and won the third consecutive championship.

That season, Barkley won the MVP award of the tournament, which Jordan did not value in his career. NBA final is the perfect time to prove to everyone who is the best, but in the field, Jordan and Barkley have a good friendship.

However, they no longer talk to each other until today. In a recent interview on Podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Barkley denied rumors that he was “bought” as a gift in the final.

“First of all, Mike and I have agreed that we will stay away from each other during the final. He gave me diamond earrings on Christmas – that’s the truth. But rumors that he invited me to play golf in the final to seduce me was completely wrong,” Barkley clarified.

Jordan’s performance in the six matches against Suns was his best performance in a NBA final, with an average of 41 points per game. However, Barkley did not disappoint people: he ended the series with an average of 27 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists per game – another testament to the high level of the confrontation between two legends.