If you’re going to end your friendship with Charles Barkley, you’d better not do it by ghosting him.
Unfortunately, that’s how golf icon Tiger Woods went about defriending the basketball great and it left Barkley irate.
Once upon a time, Barkley and Woods shared a remarkably close bond.
Speaking to ESPN in 2011, Barkley revealed he and Woods would speak ‘once a week for 15 years’, such was their friendship.
But everything changed in 2009 when Woods’ life turned upside down.
Woods crashed his Cadillac in November just days after the first report of his infidelity emerged.
In the days after the crash, over a dozen women had come forward with claims they had an affair with Woods in various media outlets.
From that moment on, Woods no longer spoke to Barkley.
A perception soon emerged Barkley had become a bad influence on Woods, along with fellow basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Yet it all caught Barkley, an 11-time NBA All-Star, by surprise.
“It was interesting sitting back and listening and hearing me and Michael corrupted him, we knew none of this stuff was going in,” Barkley said.
However, Barkley’s tune changed in the passing years as Woods’ end of the phone remained cold.
And not in a positive way.
“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,’” Barkley told Andscape in 2017.
“I would’ve understood that.
“But I just wish he would have been man enough to call and say that. To just disappear totally was disappointing.”
A year later, Barkley and Woods were back talking, even if it was in an enforced setting as the 15-time major winner made a guest appearance on Inside the NBA in November 2018.
Barkley poked fun at Woods’ receding hairline and asked if he’d decided or was thinking about cutting his losses and shaving his head.
Barkley and Woods were in a jovial mood while on Inside the NBA[/caption]
“No, I’m still combing forward,” Woods replied, sparking plenty of laughter from the entire panel.
“I’m holding on for dear life as long as I possibly can.”
Woods and Barkley had another public interaction during the May 2020 edition of The Match.
Barkley served as a commentator for the event while Woods teamed up with legendary NFL quarterback Peyton Manning to take on Phil Mickelson and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
The NBA legend was all too happy to engage in some smack talk with all competitors, including Woods.
But Woods wasn’t afraid to clap back.
“I can beat Tom Brady after what I’m seeing now,” Barkley said.
“I want him.”
Woods responded: “Chuck, I think the whole world wants a piece of you.”
Despite their jovial interactions over the years, Barkley appeared to take a swipe at Woods once again in a Phil Mickelson biography, written by respected golf journalist Alan Shipnuck.
Barkley was quoted by Shipnuck in the book when discussing the big difference between Mickelson and Woods.
“One of the reasons Phil has lasted so long is because he’s had a joyful life,” Barkley said.
“Tiger won a bunch of tournaments, but there wasn’t much joy in it.”
Barkley added: “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***, afraid to say or do the wrong thing.
“Tiger himself has always acted like he’s under siege. Gimme a f****** break, you’re just a golfer, dude.
“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.”
It is unknown, at least publicly, whether Barkley has changed his tune on Woods.
But given the silence between the two outside of TV appearances they are both involved in, it seems the direct lines of communication remain down between Barkley and Woods.