Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley were teammates on the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards during their NBA careers. While they did not win a title together, the two All-Stars formed a brotherhood and are closest friends to this day.
Throughout his career, Oakley played alongside a number of outstanding players. However, he confessed that Jordan is his favorite teammate of all time and described what it’s like to be best friends with Jordan.
Oakley informed Jack Green of Betway Insider that he and Jordan had never fought because they have too much respect for one another. Oakley expressed gratitude to Jordan for included him in the documentary “The Last Dance” and mentioning him in his 2009 Hall of Fame speech.
“We became friends, and whenever I called, he answered,” Oakley recalled of Jordan. “The thing between me and Mike is that we talked trash to each other but never crossed the line. There is so much respect. We’re just close. We do not fight. We do not do this or that. We’re simply the best of buddies. He put me in The Last Dance, the Hall of Fame address, and Space Jam, so I’ll wait till the next concert.”
Jordan was so close to Oakley that he was angry when the Bulls moved him to the New York Knicks in the summer of 1988. Jordan objected to the trade because Cartwright was older than Oakley.
The Bulls, on the other hand, benefited from the transaction, to the point where Jordan admitted he was mistaken nine years later.
Jordan told SLAM Magazine in 1997 that he was wrong about the Oakley-Cartwright trade. Oakley was Jordan’s protector on the Bulls. Whenever Jordan got clobbered on his drives to the basket, Oakley would fight the player who fouled his best friend, which is why it was difficult for Jordan to see his pal get traded.
However, Jordan found out that Cartwright was the perfect big man for the Bulls.
“I was wrong with the Oakley-Bill Cartwright trade,” Jordan said. “I loved Charles Oakley. He was like a brother to me, and I felt we were giving away too many years by trading a young rebounder for an old guy who hadn’t played a full season. But in terms of what we were trying to get, he was the best. It was the best trade at the time. I still love Charles Oakley, and I loved having him on our team, but in terms of what Bill Cartwright brought to the team, he made a difference.”
Jordan and Oakley transitioned from comrades to adversaries. When the Knicks and Bulls faced off, Oakley didn’t hesitate to foul Jordan hard. The two teams met in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1993, with Oakley and Co. leading 2-0.
However, Jordan and the Bulls emerged victorious.
Jordan shot terribly in Games 1-3 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. He shot 37.0% in the first game, 37.5% in the second, and 16.7% in the third.
Jordan rebounded strongly in Game 4, scoring 54 points on 60.0% shooting.
The Bulls won Games 3-6 and advanced to the 1993 NBA Finals. Jordan averaged 32.2 points and 7.0 assists against the Knicks in the conference finals, while Oakley averaged 8.7 points and 10.8 rebounds against the Bulls.
In the 1993 NBA Finals, Chicago defeated the Phoenix Suns for its third title in a row, with Jordan collecting his third consecutive Finals MVP award.
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