Charles Barkley's attempts to embarrass Michael Jordan once backfired: “His head is mighty, he don’t need no helmet for his head”

Long before Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley had their infamous falling out, the two men were pretty good friends. After being part of the same draft class, the two men became friends, despite their battles on the court. During their careers, the two men won Olympic gold together as teammates in Barcelona in 1992, bridging the cap between friends and teammates.

As friends do, the two enjoyed taking shots at one another from time to time. With roasting being a part of their friendship, When the two appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show together, Barkley didn't hesitate to make a joke at Jordan's expense. Referencing MJ's love for motorcycles, Barkley expressed concern over his friend's safety.

"I hate the fact that he [Jordan] rides motorcycles ’cause it scares me to death. It’s not safe. It’s just not safe,” Charles Barkley said.

Even with the use of a helmet, Barkley wasn't sold on motorcycles, accusing Jordan of just being too stubborn to see that. He then continued with a joke at Jordan's expense, saying:

"His head is mighty. He don’t need no helmet for his head. He’s the most stubborn person you ever gonna meet in your life.”

Although the joke initially seemed to land, Jordan then seemed annoyed by the joke, stating matter-of-factly that he disagreed with Barkley's comments. You can see the situation play out in the video above, beginning around the 11:30 mark.

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley's falling out

After the two men both retired, Barkley began his position on "Inside the NBA", while Jordan took over as owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Years later, leading up to the 2006 NBA draft, a casual conversation quickly turned into the start of a falling out.

Hawaii v Michigan

As Charles Barkley recalled during an interview with Jackie MacMullan earlier this year, he called Jordan leading up to the 2006 draft to discuss things with him. Little did he know he was about to walk into a fight between him and his longtime friend.

"I said, ‘Who you thinking about taking?’ He says, ‘I’m thinking about taking Adam Morrison.’ I said, ‘What!? You can’t take Adam Morrison.’ I said, ‘Michael, he doesn’t have a position. No. He might be a nice kid…’ "

"He says, ‘Well, my coaches like him.’ I said, ‘Let me ask you a question. Did you say you liked him first?’… ‘Michael, nobody wants to disagree with you. They intimidated by you.’ [Jordan responded], ‘F*** you, mother*****!’ These guys can be honest!’"

Jordan, of course, wound up drafting Morrison, who played just four seasons and had an incredibly underwhelming NBA run. Years later, Barkley revealed that he had serious doubts regarding whether or not MJ was capable of successfully running a franchise.

(Suggested Reading: Kyrie Irving could be headed to the LA Lakers in free agency)

After the fact, Jordan called Barkley and cursed him out. To this day, it remains the last time the two men spoke. According to Charles Barkley, he's ready to put the situation behind him and make amends with the arguable greatest of all time.