He said, he said
Jordan on retirement: Barkley doesn't speak for me
Posted: Sunday December 20, 1998 09:14 PM
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Barkley (right) said he played golf with Jordan last week and discussed Jordan's future Jonathan Daniel/Allsport |
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (CNN/SI) -- Michael Jordan
chided Charles
Barkley on Saturday for saying Jordan will retire as soon as the NBA
lockout ends.
"Charles doesn't speak for Michael Jordan, you know that," said Jordan.
"When Michael Jordan has something to say he will say it. People are going
to say what they want to say. I never was against people speaking their
opinion or their feelings and that [retirement] is Charles' feeling."
Barkley, speaking at a shootaround Saturday before a charity exhibition
game, predicted Jordan will make his announcement after the lockout ends.
"Michael is done," Barkley said. "Let me tell you something, you can hope
and hope and hope, but Michael is gone.
"He's not going to play anymore. He's just waiting for the lockout to
end. Everybody keeps trying to make him play, or ask if he will play if
they shorten the season. But he has said from Day 1 he's not going to play.
He wants this thing to end so he can make it public."
Barkley said he played golf with Jordan last week and discussed
Jordan's future.
Jordan has not spoken publicly about his future since early in the
summer when he said he would announce his decision after the lockout.
Before winning his sixth championship last season, Jordan insisted he would
not play for any coach other than Phil Jackson.
Jackson left the Bulls after the season, and Tim Floyd has been hired
as Chicago's coach-in-waiting.
When pressed on his statements about Jordan, Barkley said talking to
reporters is "like talking to rocks."
"Look, he has had enough," Barkley said. "He's done everything. He
made his last shot to win a world championship. What more do you need?
That's every player's fantasy.
"Let the man enjoy the rest of his life. I'm more concerned about the
other 399 guys."
As for his own future, Barkley said he has been in contact with six
teams he would like to play for -- all of which have a shot a winning a
championship.
Coming off hernia surgery and a shoulder operation, Barkley did not
plan to play in the exhibition game but coached one of the teams.
He will be a free agent when -- or if -- the lockout ends.
"I want to stay in Houston," he said. "If they sign Scottie [Pippen]
or [Antonio] McDyess, our team would be very good.
"The money doesn't matter to me. The Knicks are a team I will
consider. I'd love to play with Patrick Ewing
and Allan
Houston." Barkley refused to disclose the six teams he's
interested in "because it's actually illegal that I've been talking to
them."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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