The NBA has been around for several decades now and in its rich history many players have flaunted their elite ability to play basketball in front of the fans. But among those thousands of players, there are only a few players who are truly worthy of being considered the most important players in the NBA.

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley recently explained why he initially mentioned Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the two most important players in the league. But how Michael Jordan simply took the NBA to another level.

“Michael comes later and took it to a whole ‘nother level,” Barkley explained. “But, you gotta remember something, Stephen A. When I got to the NBA, you talk about the average salary now, is $10 million. When I came to the NBA, the average salary was $200,000. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are the two most important people in NBA history. Those guys, every time I see those guys, I tell them, ‘Thank you.'”

Barkley continued and gave Michael Jordan his flowers for what he did for the biggest basketball league in the world.

“Michael is like the Tiger Woods effect to Jack, Arnold, and Gary Player. Because you remember something. (The NBA) was too Black, too thuggish, bunch of druggies. Nobody, it was tape-delayed. There was only one game a week on Sunday afternoon,” Barkley said.

“That would all change with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Every NBA player, you see Magic and Bird, you say, ‘Thank you.’ They made it a mainstream sport, and if it wasn’t for those two guys. Then, obviously, Michael is the third component. He made it a worldwide thing because of his talent and charisma. But we have to give Magic and Larry credit because, number one, they were both great players, but what they did for the game, making it mainstream, can never be underestimated.”

Even though Barkley mentioned Jordan among the most important players in the history of the league, he still believes the first two spots belong to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Charles Barkley Wants To Fix His Fractured Relationship With Michael Jordan

Sir Charles and Jordan faced off against each other a plethora of times during their playing careers. From being fierce rivals in the beginning to becoming friends, Chuck and MJ got closer.

But it all went down the drain when Barkley criticized the way Jordan was running the Hornets. This led to Jordan cutting off ties with Barkley.

However, the NBA on TNT analyst wants to get past the fight that the two got into almost a decade ago. He has expressed his feelings about fixing their friendship, but will Jordan comply? There’s no way for us to tell.

Source: fadeawayworld