For the Chicago Bulls, winning NBA titles started when they added players who could help Michael Jordan during games. Despite being the talented player he is, MJ could not carry the Windy City squad on his shoulders all by himself.
This was a fact pointed out by Charles Barkley . After spending years trying to carry the Philadelphia 76ers on his shoulders, the 5th overall pick of the 1984 Draft explained why he demanded a trade to one of several “super” teams.
Among the teams the Auburn product had in his sights were the Phoenix Suns, Seattle Supersonics, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic. His reason? These teams had a star player in the mix and knew that teaming up would increase his chances of winning an NBA ring.
One player cannot do it alone
To prove his point, he used Jordan as an example. Admitting that MJ was a talented player, it remained that he could not deliver a championship on his own.
“No matter how good he played, until Scottie Pippen started playing well, they couldn't win,” Barkley said via NYT . “ You got to have more than one player, two 'supers' to win. You can't get 35 points and 20 boards every night. It wears you out, ” he added.
Barkley ended up with the Phoenix Suns and knew that he had teammates he could rely on. At the top of the list is Kevin Johnson, a player who gave it all for the Suns in the past seasons. However, K.J. needed help, and Chuck loomed as the answer to that concern.
“ Our whole game used to be me having the ball and having to create. Now he's double-teamed every time. The game has never been this easy,” Johnson stated.
Coexisting with K.J.
Individually, Barkley and Johnson are talented. But another overlooked aspect was whether the two superstars could get along. Charles was aware of the rumor that they did not get along at the time. However, he clarified that all was well between them.
“I can tell you this. Me and Kevin Johnson never, never had a disagreement. Ever. In the four years that we were together, ” Barkley said .
In their first season playing together, Barkley and Johnson found a way to coexist. That year, the Suns' one-two punch was enough to push Phoenix to the NBA Finals against Jordan and the Bulls.
Looking at the scores of the 1993 NBA Finals, there is no question the Suns gave the Bulls a good fight. Unfortunately for Charles and company, the duo of Jordan and Pippen were too much.
When looking at MJ's scoring average in that series, Jordan’s 41.0 points average was a tad better than Barkley and Johnson's combined average scoring output. Although the Suns had a lot of familiar names on their roster that season, the necessary support was just not enough for Barkley and Johnson.
Related: "I never felt this way before" - Charles Barkley recalled when he realized Michael Jordan was better than him
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