It happened in 1992 when both were playing for what most call the greatest team ever assembled. Jordan and Barkley were members of the Olympic Dream Team that featured the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Karl Malone.
It was the first time the United State used professional players. Naturally, the team went 8-0 on the way to easily winning the gold medal.
What many forget was Barkley led the team in scoring at 18 points a game, ahead of Jordan’s 14.9.
“I led the team in scoring and rebounding,” Barkley said on an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast. “It was easy, though. Basketball was easy to me.
It should be noted that Malone led the team in rebounding. Still, Barkley showed the world he was among the best players. Jordan, though, owns Barkley in just about every other category. He won six NBA championships to Barkley’s zero.
Jordan is also considered the best player in league history by most fans and analysts. But Barkley had his one moment in Barcelona.
“I got the best compliment ever from [coach] Chuck Daly,” Barkley said. “He pulled me aside one day, `You’re the second-best basketball player in the world.’ I said, `who better than me?’ We both started laughing. Obviously, Michael was it.”‘
