“He Just Stopped”: Amid His Poaching Rumours in 2022, Charles Barkley Publicly Biffed Tiger Woods for Parting Ways

The LIV Golf rumor mill didn’t spare even NBA stars. In 2022, rumors were rife that LIV Golf was trying to poach Charles Barkley into their fold. If that happened, TNT’s much-watched show, Inside the NBA, would’ve been in trouble.

The rumor remained a rumor. Chuck never really joined the LIV exodus. However, in 2022, he rocked the golf world with some shocking statements about his former golf buddy, Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods disappointed Charles Barkley

Golfing is among Charles Barkley’s interests. He was known to hit the greens with his famous friends, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Given his prowess with the right drive, Barkley would fit in with the golf world. Rumor has it that LIV Golf thought so, too.

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LIV Golf was poaching several PGA stars last year when Barkley’s name was thrown in the mix. There were rumors that the new league was looking into a broadcasting role for Barkley. It would mean poaching him from his regular job as a panelist on TNT’s Inside the NBA.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Barkley confirmed that he has indeed got meetings lined up with LIV Golf. However, nothing seemed to have come out of it. Barkley remains an ‘Inside Guy’ and he’s not headlining a golf show for now.

But that was not what stirred golf watchers in 2022. Barkley spoke about his friend Mickelson in a 2022 biography. In the same breath, he criticized Tiger Woods.

Pointing out the “huge difference,” between Mickelson and Woods, Barkley said, “it’s not fun to be around him [Tiger]. Everyone in his world is uptight and s**t, afraid to say or do the wrong thing.” 

Barkley is known to be critical of his friends, but this was not lighthearted. It added context to gossip about a fallout between the NBA legend and the PGA TOUR star.

In 2017, Barkley finally confirmed that he and Tiger weren’t friends anymore. And the decision was one-sided. He revealed that Woods had not gotten in touch with him since his 2009 accident.

Woods was injured after crashing his Cadillac Escalade SUV. Within days, his infidelity debacle unraveled. Though they tried to work on their marriage initially, Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, divorced in 2010.

Woods froze Barkley out as he was dragged into the media. “He just stopped talking to us.” 

“I could understand if he was trying to get back with his wife at the time and she said, ‘Hey, get rid of all your old friends,’ and he called and said, ‘This is the situation.’ I would’ve understood that. But I just wish he would have been man enough to call and say that. To just disappear totally was disappointing,” Barkley revealed.

Barkley remains loyal to Woods

Even Michael Jordan regularly played golf with Woods. After his scandal, Woods stepped back from golf for a while and even distanced himself from Barkley and Jordan. However, both NBA titans sympathized with him.

Jordan and Barkley didn’t touch upon Woods’ scandals. Nonetheless, both lamented on how this affected him as an athlete.

Though he said he’s “no fun,” Barkley is still rooting for Woods as a golfer. He also said that Woods needs help more than critics for his personal battles.

Despite not being able to play with him anymore, Woods left a mark on Barkley. Recently, he told Golf Digest that he counts Tiger Woods among the most intimidating golfers he’s played against.

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