2. Charles Barkley, Forward
Maybe the most unfortunate of the three players/groups of players on this list is the former Phoenix Suns and Rockets big man Charles Barkley. As a frequent opponent of Jordan’s, despite playing in the Western Conference for most of his career, the “Round Mound of Rebound” was a bit of misnomer on this list too.
But most of the meetings between Jordan and Barkley in the playoffs came when the Round Mound of Rebound was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers at the outset of his NBA career.
Another weird tidbit in the Jordan-Barkley matchup is that the latter of the two actually held the edge in record in their 39 regular season meetings. Barkley got the best of Jordan in the regular season by a one game margin, with a record of 20-19. In the playoffs, Jordan held the series edge with a record of 12-4.
Jordan was very solid against Barkley in their 16 playoff matchups. He averaged 39.3 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Jordan shot 51.5 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Barkley averaged 25.7 points per game, 13.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Barkley shot 53.6 percent from the field and 67.3 percent from the free-throw line. He was also a dominant force against Jordan and the Bulls. But Jordan still got the best of Barkley in their one meeting in the NBA Finals, when he beat the Suns in the early 1990’s.