"He's a little taller than me, he can outrun everybody... I've never seen anything like it" - Former NBA MVP recalls his first meeting with Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley first crossed paths during the 1984 Olympic trials that were conducted by the late Bobby Knight at Indiana University. Before they became NBA superstars, they were just two of more than a hundred players vying for an elusive slot and a shot at Olympic gold.

Barkley’s first meeting with Jordan was so striking that he remembers the whole event like it happened yesterday. On an NBA on TNT special episode, the beloved former Phoenix Suns MVP recalled those days almost more than four decades ago.

“My coach says, ‘I thought you were the best player.’ I say, ‘Well, I’m not.’ I say, ‘Coach, I just saw someone I’ve never seen in my life before. There’s this dude at North Carolina. He’s a little taller than me, he can outrun everybody, he can outjump everybody. I’ve never seen anything like it.’ And he says, ‘Michael Jordan, I’m gonna remember that name.’”

The 1984 US Basketball Olympic Committee wanted to make sure that the nation will get the best college basketball players in the nation. Bobby Knight and the coaching staff left no stone unturned in getting the best players that will be the best fit for the team.

The selection was so stringent that Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockon and Terry Porter were just a few of the most jaw-dropping cuts named. Michael Jordan, though, stood out with the kind of assured magnetism and ability that left no doubt about who was the best player in the pool.

Selected alongside Jordan on that 1984 Olympic team were future fellow Hall-of-Famers Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing. Before winning the gold medal, the young team made up of college standouts would play eight NBA All-Star teams and win all of them.

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Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan would form part of the 1992 Dream Team

"Chuck" and "His Airness" played together with other NBA superstars in the Dream Team. [Photo: OpenCourt-Basketball]

Eight years after the 1984 snub, Charles Barkley finally nailed an Olympic slot with Michael Jordan and other NBA superstars. The Dream Team is considered to be the best and greatest team ever assembled in all sports.

Joining Barkley and Jordan were Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Scottie Pippen, among others. Despite the conglomeration of talents, “His Airness” would again stand above everyone on that team.

In 1992, Barkley evolved into a fearsome force that many, including head coach Chuck Daly, would call the second-best player in that squad. “Chuck” led the Dream Team in scoring and gained scores of fans with his outgoing and devil-may-care attitude.

Barkley also eventually met Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals when the Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns battled for the title. Jordan’s undisputed dominance marked the first time Barkley admitted that someone was really better than him in basketball.

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