Jeff Teague has played in Indiana long enough to embody one of the legends in these parts. The former Pacers player is enjoying Indiana Fever’s rise under Caitlin Clark. While discussing Fever’s draft prospects on the Club 520 podcast, he dug up old wounds for someone else. As the coach of an Indiana high school, Teague is not misplaced in drawing inspiration from the legendary Bob Knight. But any fan of The General worth his salt knows the Hoosiers icon hated Charles Barkley as much as he fawned over Michael Jordan.

Teague summarized his coaching philosophy and who Fever should draft to complement Caitlin Clark in one sentence. After co-host B-Hen remarked that the team would need a wing and not a guard when Paige Bueckers came into the picture, Teague was adamant about the Uconn star being the right choice regardless of the position. “I’m like Bob Knight when it come to this.” He referenced the time Knight was urging the Portland Trail Blazers GM Stu Inman to draft Michael Jordan in 1984.

An ESPN basketball analyst recalled at the time of Knight’s demise in 2023, “Knight counseled Inman to take Jordan, calling Jordan the best basketball player he had ever seen. Inman told Knight that the Blazers already had Clyde Drexler and needed a center. Knight responded, ‘Then play Jordan at center.’”

Teague implies that Clark and Paige duo could be the answer to all the same as Jordan was regarded going into the 1984 NBA draft. But he backs Knight’s opinion with another player 40 years ago.

His co-host, DJ Wells called Knight, “a generational hater” for calling Charles Barkley “fat and trash” but he said, “Michael Jordan the best basketball player I’ve ever seen in my life.” Teague agreed with that last statement saying, “He ain’t lie.” 

Teague doesn’t say whether he also agreed with Knight’s opinion on Barkley. He only believes in Knight’s opinion about Jordan. Even if it started a decades long animosity between Chuck and The General.

The origin of Charles Barkley’s feud with Bob Knight

The background to why Coach Bob was pushing Portland to use its second overall pick on Jordan is in the Olympics that took place that year. As history goes, MJ made his Olympic debut at the Los Angeles games in ’84. Bob Knight was coaching the Team USA men’s basketball squad and if he didn’t get his way, things would’ve looked different.

At the Olympic trials in Bloomington, Indiana, Charles Barkley stood out as the best guard for Team USA. However, he clashed with Knight throughout the camp. Chuck refused to play by The General’s rules which led to him cutting the Auburn player out of the team.

Instead UNC’s Michael Jordan became the star of the show. However, Knight’s attempt to get him to Portland failed. They picked Sam Bowie and the Bulls got MJ.

The 76ers picked Chuck fifth overall and Barkley would eventually get his Olympic debut in the ’92 Dream Team. Where Knight worried Barkley wouldn’t be good for team chemistry, Chuck Daly made his rebellious persona work and Chuck was the scoring leader of the Dream Team. Regardless, the snub from ’84 still stung. For decades later, Barkley still says, “I probably should’ve made the team. Bobby Knight just didn’t like me.” And that hate never simmered.