NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley played with all the confidence in the world during his career. He always thought he was the best player on the court. That all changed after he led the Phoenix Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls.
"I did not think Michael Jordan was better than me until he beat me in the Finals," Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show. "When I was in Philly, we actually had success against them. They beat us in the playoffs one years but I thought it was because he had some better players around him."
Barkley thought the stars had aligned after he was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Suns. He won MVP while leading them to the league's best record. Barkley was paired with Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson, both All-Star caliber players.
This was finally his chance to defeat Jordan.
"When I got traded to Phoenix, Chuck Daly had told me, `You're the second-best player in the world," Barkley said. "I said, `I'm the best (bleeping) player in the world.' He said, `No, that guy right over there (Jordan) is the best player in the world. I said, `No, I'm gonna prove it to you when we play them in the Finals."'
After losing to Jordan in six games, Barkley made a revelation to his daughter.
"I remember telling her, `I ain't never said this to you before, that guy is a better basketball player than me,"' Barkley said. "That's the only player I ever played against I thought was better than me."'
MORE BACK IN THE DAY NEWS
Skip Bayless somewhat shows love for LeBron James
Shaquille O'Neal responds to social media hackers
Five-time champion gives Luka and LeBron advice