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Hall of Famer and NBA legend Charles Barkley took a sly dig at his former friend Tiger Woods. Barkley provided his candid thoughts about the golf legend in the upcoming Phil Mickelson biography that will release on May 15.
In an excerpt published in the Fire Pit Collective, Barkley compared his experiences hanging out and playing golf with Woods and Mickelson. The former NBA MVP praised Tiger for his talents but called out his uptight demeanor while they were together. He said:
"Sure, Tiger is a better golfer. You're just in awe of his talent. But it’s not fun to be around him. Everyone in his world is uptight and s**t, afraid to say or do the wrong thing. Tiger himself has always acted like he's under siege. Gimme a f***ing break. You're just a golfer, dude."
However, Barkley had nothing but good things to say about Mickelson. He was very impressed with how Mickelson's life is full of joy compared to Woods'. The "Inside the NBA" analyst added that he enjoys every time he hangs out with the six-time Major champion, saying:
"One of the reasons Phil has lasted so long is because he’s had a joyful life... When you're with Phil, you're guaranteed to have fun. He makes people feel good. Everyone around him is always smiling. That's a huge difference, man."
Barkley teamed up with Mickelson in 2020 at "Capital One's The Match: Champions For Change" against NFL legend Peyton Manning and two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry. Charles and Mickelson got a 4&3 victory against Peyton and Curry.
Charles Barkley's friendship with Tiger Woods
Charles Barkley used to be close friends with Tiger Woods. They used to play golf and hang out together with Michael Jordan. However, their friendship ended in 2009 when Woods' tumultuous personal life unravelled, leading to his messy divorce with Elin Nordegren.
In an interview with "The Undefeated" in 2017, Barkley shared the story of how Tiger simply stopped talking with him and Jordan. He doesn't now why that happened, but he guessed it might have been about getting "rid of old friends." Barkley said:
"To this day, I don't have any idea what happened. After that… thing, he just stopped talking to us. That's all I know. I could understand if he was trying to get back with his wife at the time, and she said, 'Hey, get rid of all your old friends,' and he called and said, 'This is the situation.'"
Despite what Barkley said back then, it seems he could be on speaking terms with Tiger Woods. Barkley would interview Woods a year later on "Inside the NBA" to talk about his match against Phil Mickelson. Meanwhile, Barkley is also no longer friends with Jordan after criticizing him for his ownership of the Charlotte Hornets.
