Charles Barkley: Clyde Drexler was always jealous of Michael Jordan

It may have taken two decades, but all of the drama that surrounded the 1992 Olympic Dream Team is finally coming to light. Clyde Drexler’s reputation is not exactly improving as a result. During yet another discussion about the Dream Team on Thursday, Charles Barkley talked about some of the issues the team had with Drexler behind closed doors. According to Barkley, Clyde was extremely jealous of Michael Jordan.

“I think Clyde has always been jealous of Michael, to be honest with you,” Barkley said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I think he’s always wanted to be compared to Michael. Hey, we all want to be compared to Michael, but we’re not.

“Clyde was a great player, but there was always that jealousy of Michael. That was one of the incidents and things about the Dream Team, Clyde was trying to play like it was Game 7 against Michael, and that’s probably not a good idea. When Michael is driving his kids to school, he thinks it’s Game 7.”

Last month, we told you about a book in which Drexler as quoted as saying Magic Johnson only made the Dream Team because people pitied him and his condidion. Naturally, Clyde denied the comments and said they were taken out of context by the books author, Jack McCallum. Barkley isn’t buying it.

“I like Clyde Drexler, but Jack McCallum is a great guy, and I don’t think he would misinterpret anything,” he said. “I saw some of the statements. I thought they were not very cool at all. I don’t think Jack’s going to make up … first of all, he doesn’t have to make up anything. … If I had to believe somebody, I would probably believe Jack McCallum.”

If Drexler didn’t have many friends when the Dream Team was assembled 20 years ago, he has even less now.