Charles Barkley revealed that his attempts to reach out to Tiger Woods were unsuccessful after the golfer’s recent arrest as a one-sided feud remains between the two.
Barkley recently revealed that he’s on speaking terms with fellow NBA icon Michael Jordan, relying on former baseball star Vince Coleman to broker the peace.
But when it comes to Jordan and Barkley’s friendship with Woods, that seems to be irreparable.
After revealing the peace terms with Jordan on ESPN Chicago’s ‘Waddle and Silvy’ radio show, Barkley admitted, ‘I’ve never understood’ why Woods and he aren’t getting along.
‘I called his agent, I don’t even have Tiger’s number, I said, “Let the young guy know I love him, I hope he’s gonna be alright.” I wish him nothing but the best.
‘Obviously, he has a drug problem, and I got nothing but love for him. He disowned us after one of those car accidents.’
Charles Barkley says his relationship with Tiger Woods remains frosty due to one-sided beef
Barkley (R) appears to have thawed his frosty relationship with friend Michael Jordan (L)
But Barkley says the end of his friendship with Woods (pictured in 2006) isn’t his doing
While Barkley couldn’t remember the last time he spoke to Woods, he estimated that their relationship started to fall apart after the golfer crashed his car near his Florida home in 2009.
The crash led to an exposé on Woods’ private life and infidelity towards his wife, Elin Nordegren.
But Barkley says the final nail in the coffin came when Woods fired his longtime caddy Steve Williams in 2011.
‘It’s been very frustrating to watch everything that has transpired,’ Barkley told Mike Lupica back in 2011. ‘And getting rid of Steve Williams was probably the last straw for me.’
Still, Barkley alleges that the friendship dying off was not his fault.
‘Tiger left us,’ the NBA legend told ESPN Chicago this week. ‘I don’t turn on my friends when they do something wrong or make a mistake. But I wish him nothing but the best.’
