Charles Barkley defends Michael Jordan – NBA Update
NBA TV analyst and former super star centre Charles Barkley has leapt to the defence of his old pal Michael Jordan.
Jordan, considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time, is now the owner of NBA franchise the Charlotte Bobcats and he has come under severe criticism from NBA players over his hard-line stance in the labour dispute.
“Well first of all, don’t believe everything you hear. But Michael is an owner now. He can’t sacrifice his franchise.” Barkley said in an interview with Sports Radio Interviews.
Jordan’s Bobcats are a small market team, who have consistently lost money in recent years. The former shooting guard has therefore taken a miserly stance over the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and is believed to be leading
a faction of the owners that want a much bigger share of the Basketball Related Income, among other things, than what players are willing to offer.
When the NBA last locked out its players, a retired Jordan came to their aid and took on the might of the NBA owners fighting spiritedly for player rights. His star power and steadfast devotion was a direct reason behind NBA players
getting a very favourable deal that time around, and Barkley wanted to remind players about that.
“Listen, he’s the reason that all us players are making the money that we are today.”
Many players though have taken issue with Jordan on the premise that if he thought players should have a greater share back then, he should do so now. But Barkley believes realities change with time and in any case Jordan was not
a player anymore, he was an owner. His battle now was for the owners and it was silly of players to expect him to sacrifice the financial well being of his franchise for the sake of players.
“But with that being said, he’s an owner now, he’s got to do what’s best for his franchise. I think it’s silly for players to think MJ should sacrifice the whole NBA for the rights of the players. He’s not a player anymore. When
he played, he spoke for the players” Barkley said.
Jordan is a fighter and possesses an extremely driven personality. His over the top urge to win in every situation often makes him an unpleasant presence to be around, but that is part of what made him such a great player who was
loved and adored all over the world.
Moreover, it helped him become a global icon, who in turn raised the status of the NBA singlehandedly and opened the doors for players today to make all the money that they do. Now the players are finding out how it is to be up
against Jordan and since not many players around today had faced him in his prime, they are finding it extremely hard even outside of a basketball court.
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