When Michael Jordan returned to play for the Washington Wizards in 2001, Charles Barkley wanted to make the comeback and play with his good buddy. In fact, Barkley said he was trying to come back because he wanted to 'help' MJ.
Jordan and the 2001-02 Wizards struggled with a 5-10 start at the end of November. Barkley, who had worked out with MJ that year, was seriously looking at giving his good pal a helping hand.
"I'm thinking about it," Barkley told HBO via ESPN. "I miss playing. I feel bad Michael is struggling, and I think I could help him, but I need to lose another 25 pounds before I could help him."
But while Barkley sounded like he was dead serious about making an NBA return, then Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins told the Washington Post that his team had no intention of signing Barkley.
"You got to love Charles. He's always going to have fun," Collins said. "The good part about it is he's always going to create a reaction from somebody. He throws something out there and wants people to follow it up."
Even if the Wizards did have an interest in Sir Charles, they didn't have the salary cap to sign him at that time. They also would have paid the luxury tax if they signed him to the veterans minimum of $ 1 million, and getting over the tax line wasn't something that then-owner Abe Pollin was a fan of.
Barkley began working out in early 2001, and he got 'down' to 300 pounds. By June, he joined Jordan at Hoops the Gym, near United Center, playing refereed games against other NBA players, including AJ Guyton, Jake Voshkul, Ron Artest, Marcus Fizer, and Jamal Crawford, who then played for the Bulls.
"He thinks we can still be good," Barkley said of MJ. "I'm very confident. If I can get my weight down, I like my chances. I don't think we can play at the level we once did. But I think we can still play well."
But the truth was Barkley and Jordan were never teammates in the NBA because while they were good buddies off the court, MJ knew what Charles was on the court when he opposed a trade that would have sent Barkley to Chicago for Scottie Pippen. At that time, Jordan was asked about playing with Barkley, and he said, "Sure if he lost weight." Unfortunately, that was a challenge Sir Charles never overcame, even during his prime.