How MLB All-Star helped Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley squash their beef

How MLB All-Star helped Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley squash their beef

Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan are on speaking terms again, and Barkley revealed there’s a former Major League Baseball All-Star behind the thawing of the relationship.

Barkley initially said during an interview last week on SiriusXM’s “Mad Dog Unleashed” that he and Jordan had a conversation recently and made plans to play golf together soon. It had been 14 years since the two had a falling out after Barkley criticized Jordan’s performance as owner of the then-Charlotte Bobcats during an interview with ESPN 1000 in Chicago.

A turning point came last week when former MLB outfielder Vince Coleman called Barkley at his home, Barkley said on Wednesday, April 23 during his latest appearance on ESPN 1000’s “Waddle and Silvy Show,” which is also where he made the original comments that upset Jordan in 2012. Coleman informed Barkley over the phone that he was with Jordan at The Grove XXIII, Jordan’s golf club in South Florida.

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“(Coleman) says, ‘Yo, I’m down here at The Grove. I’m sick of you and MJ’s BS. He’s right here. Y’all need to talk. And we had a conversation,” Barkley recounted to the show’s hosts. “But Vince Coleman’s the person who’s responsible. We talked for a couple minutes. He’s like, ‘Man, let’s get together and play golf,’ and as soon as I get a break, I’m going to fly down there and we’re going to spend a couple days playing golf.”

Jordan and Barkley were rivals and superstars in the NBA and Olympic teammates with the original Dream Team in 1992. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls beat Barkley’s Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals, the same year Barkley won his lone MVP award. Coleman played 13 MLB seasons (1985-97), with the majority of his career spent with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets.

Jordan became the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006 and Barkley has been an outspoken mainstay on “Inside the NBA,” providing commentary on the league since his retirement.

Vince Coleman of the New York Mets looks on during a game at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York in 1992.

Barkley criticized Jordan in 2012 for not surrounding himself with enough people willing to disagree with his decisions as the owner of Charlotte’s NBA franchise, noting that “I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job.”

Jordan sold his majority stake in the now-Charlotte Hornets in 2023 and currently owns the 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team along with longtime NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.

Barkley said Wednesday the feud between he and Jordan isn’t as bad as it may have seemed, simply because they hadn’t spoken in so long.

“I tell people, it’s not like we’re like Prince Harry and Prince William who hate each other,” Barkley said. “Honestly, I think we both missed each other because we’ve had this conversation with other friends and we were both too stubborn to pick up the phone.”

“One thing we both said,” Barkley added, “I got a lot of love for you and you got a lot of love for me. Like Vince said, this thing has been silly and stupid, but both of y’all are too damn stubborn to pick up the phone, and y’all need to get … together and play golf and bury this thing.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vince Coleman ended Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan’s long silence

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Thunder's Jalen Williams diagnosed with Grade 1 left hamstring strain, listed as week-to-week

Thunder's Jalen Williams diagnosed with Grade 1 left hamstring strain, listed as week-to-week

The Oklahoma City Thunder had to figure out how to win without Jalen Williams for most of the regular season, they are going to have to do it again, likely for at least the rest of their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.

Jalen Williams has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and “he will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis,” the team announced Thursday.

On average, a Grade 1 hamstring strain keeps a player out 12 days, according to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, who maintains a database tracking NBA injuries. That timeline would keep Williams out for the entire first round of the playoffs, even if the series goes seven games (the Thunder are up 2-0), and if it ends earlier, he might miss the start of the second round.

Williams has been plagued by injuries all season and appeared in just 33 games for the Thunder this season. Williams was out for the first 19 games of the season recovering from right wrist surgery, then missed 30 more games due to a right hamstring injury (the opposite of the leg he injured Wednesday).

With Williams out, expect Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins to get more run.

This latest injury occurred in the third quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday night. Williams missed a transition layup, and as soon as he landed, he grabbed the back of his leg. Williams quickly checked himself out of the game and did not return.

In the 33 games he did play this season, Williams averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. In Game 1 of the series against the Suns, he had 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Thunder won without Williams on Wednesday, 120-107, and took a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3.

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Jamal Crawford being pursued by Kentucky Basketball

Jamal Crawford being pursued by Kentucky Basketball

Feb 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; NBC Peacock analysts Reggie Miller (left) and Jamal Crawford (center) and play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle during an NBA All Star Rising Stars game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Back when Kentucky Basketball lost assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart, rumors began to circulate that Mark Pope was making a push for Jamal Crawford as a potential replacement.

However, nothing came of it, and it appeared that ship had sailed.

Now, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Matt Jones are reporting that there’s still a chance that Crawford could become an assistant coach at Kentucky, as a final decision has not yet been made by Crawford, and the Wildcats remain in pursuit.

Crawford, who is currently an assistant coach at his alma mater, Rainier Beach High School, is also an NBC broadcaster who is calling games in the NBA Playoffs. He’s a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year (shoutout Keldon Johnson) and scored 19,419 career points across his 20-year NBA career.

Needless to say, Crawford is a major name in the world of basketball, and getting him would be a massive pull for any coaching staff.

Saying this, between Crawford coaching at his alma mater and the city he was born in while also calling NBA games, it feels like there’s about as much of an uphill climb for Kentucky to get him as there is for Tyran Stokes, if not bigger.

Oh, speaking of, Stokes is spending his final season of high school basketball at Rainier Beach. Safe to think that getting Crawford would be a major move toward getting Stokes.

But again, both of these feel like a long shot. Crawford has too good of a thing going for him in Seattle right now, where he’s also raising his family. He’d have to leave that and his NBC gig to take on a full-time coaching role at Kentucky.

It’s nice to think about, but this feels like a pipe dream for the time being, though one that Pope was right to shoot for.

One other thing to consider: Kentucky already landed former NBA standout Mo Williams this offseason. Perhaps he can help get Crawford to Lexington?

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Jalen Williams Ruled Out Indefinitely With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain

Jalen Williams Ruled Out Indefinitely With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams will miss at least the next three games of the team’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns after sustaining a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, the team announced Thursday. Williams will be evaluated on a weekly basis.

The injury occurred with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter of Wednesday’s 120-107 Game 2 victory. Williams grabbed his left leg after missing a fast-break layup attempt, subsequently took a deliberate foul to exit the game and went directly to the locker room. He did not address reporters before departing Paycom Center.

Williams is ruled out for Saturday’s Game 3, Monday’s Game 4 and a potential Wednesday Game 5.

The timing is a significant blow despite Oklahoma City’s commanding series position. Williams had been outstanding to open the postseason after a regular season limited to 33 games due to injury. He posted 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Game 1 and followed with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes in Game 2.

“He was playing an outstanding game,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “He was on the gas. He had great force. He was hitting shots.”

Williams, a third-team All-NBA selection last season, played through a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist throughout last year’s championship run before undergoing surgery. He also missed extended stretches this season with a right hamstring strain.

Oklahoma City went 39-10 without Williams in the lineup this regular season.

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Edgecombe makes history with 30-10 to stun C’s

Edgecombe makes history with 30-10 to stun C’s

VJ Edgecombe had 30 points and 10 rebounds while playing through pain after taking a hard fall on his back early in the game, Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points, and the 76ers beat the Celtics 111-97 to tie their series at one game apiece.

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Luka Dončić still out indefinitely, but Austin Reaves reportedly nearing return to Lakers with on-court work

Luka Dončić still out indefinitely, but Austin Reaves reportedly nearing return to Lakers with on-court work

The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have some clarity with one of their injured stars, but not Luka Dončić.

Austin Reaves, currently recovering from a Grade 2 oblique strain, recently began 1-on-1 on-court work and is theoretically on track for a return either later in the Lakers’ first-round series or early in the Western Conference semifinals, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Reaves still reportedly has to progress through 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 work before making a return, but he’s ahead of Dončić, who remains out indefinitely with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and is not expected to play in the first round.

That update came a day after Reaves and Dončić were both seen on the practice court, but not doing any intense work.

The Lakers entered Tuesday with a 1-0 lead over the Houston Rockets after their win in Game 1.

The Rockets were strongly favored going into the series due to the absences of the Lakers’ two leading scorers, but Houston surprisingly found itself without its own leading scorer when Kevin Durant was ruled out with a knee contusion.

The result of that was a completely out-of-sync offense for the Rockets in Game 1, while LeBron James and Luke Kennard led the short-handed Lakers to a surprise victory.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

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