When Charles Barkley said "I felt like there was a better basketball player in the world than me" after facing Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. The six-time NBA champion is a large part of the reason why many of his peers, including Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, finished their careers without an NBA championship.

Barkley, who lost to Jordan's Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals, discussed the greatness of MJ during episode six of 'The Last Dance', a documentary released in 2020.

"In Game 2, I played as well as I could play, and Michael just outplayed me. That was probably the first time in my life that I felt like there was a better basketball player in the world than me, to be honest with you."

Barkley finished with 42 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block while shooting 16-26 from the field and 10-12 from the free-throw line. Jordan finished with 42 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals while shooting 18-36 from the field, 2-2 from 3-point range, and 4-5 from the free-throw line, leading the Bulls to a 111-108 victory and a 2-0 series lead.

Jordan and the Bulls went on to win the series in six games. The five-time MVP averaged 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.8% from the field and 40.0% from 3-point range. Barkley averaged 27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field.

Following the airing of the episode, Charles Barkley appeared on SportsCenter, where he discussed his desire to defeat Jordan.

"You know if you lose to him, number one, you're never going to hear the end of it. Listen, there's no other person - as great as he was, there's no person in my life I ever met that I wanted to beat more in basketball. Because when you lose to him, you've got to hear about it every day for the rest of your life. That's what made him the GOAT. He takes everything personally."

Watch highlights of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley's Game 2 duel in the 1993 NBA Finals below:

Charles Barkley labeled Michael Jordan the greatest of all time

During the same appearance on SportsCenter, Charles Barkley labeled Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time.

"It was an honor and a privilege to compete against him. No disrespect to Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain. The best I've ever seen in my life is Michael Jordan, and it was an honor and a privilege to play against him. He's the best I've ever seen."

Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever play a game of basketball. His impact, both on and off the court, remains unmatched nearly two decades after he last suited up.

Check out Michael Jordan's highlights below: