Charles Barkley was aghast seeing Michael Jordan in 1984 Olympic trials: “There's this Black dude from North Carolina, I ain't never seen anything like it in my life”

Michael Jordan's reputation as a basketball player precedes itself. With six NBA championships to his name, few have accomplished as much in as little time as Jordan. In addition to his perfect record in the NBA Finals, Jordan was a five-time MVP and won two Olympic gold medals.

During his time with the 1992 Dream Team, Jordan joined forces with Charles Barkley in pursuit of Olympic gold. While it certainly wasn't Barkley's first glimpse of Jordan, it gave him and other NBA stars a firsthand look at MJ. The team's practices have lived on as sort of urban legends with some of them being covered in "The Last Dance" documentary.

Barkley recalled that when he saw a young Jordan at the 1984 Olympic trials, he was blown away by his abilities, from Jordan's scoring to his raw athleticism. When he returned to Auburn, his coach asked him who the best player was. Without a shred of doubt in his mind, Barkley knew the answer:

"I said, 'Dude, there's this black dude from North Carolina.' I said, 'Coach, I ain't never seen anything like it in my life.' I says, 'He's a little taller than me. He's about 6-6. He can outrun everybody. He can outjump everybody.' I says, 'It's one of the most amazing things."

The conversation came during a recent episode of "The Steam Room."

Barkley's comments about Jordan and the story of the 1984 Olympic trials begins around the 32 minute mark.

Other NBA athletes in awe of Michael Jordan’s athleticism

92nd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard

Of course, Barkley wasn't the only one blown away by Jordan. Nearly a decade later, when Jordan and Barkley joined other legends as part of The Dream Team, Jordan put on a show.

Two years ago, when "The Last Dance" was released, teammates spoke about an infamous scrimmage where Jordan showed his dominance. As Magic Johnson recalled, things began to get somewhat chippy between the two sides. Although Magic and Larry Bird were going back and forth, Michael Jordan quickly took control of the scrimmage.

Johnson remembered Jordan switching gears and going on an absolute tear with a ferocity that can hardly be described all by himself. As if that wasn't enough, Jordan began to trash talk his teammates, challenging them to step up and compete with him.

Although the situation likely rubbed many the wrong way at the time, when the group took the floor together at the Olympics, things paid off. The situation, and many others, live on as part of Jordan's iconic legacy. That's the same legacy that helped fuel greats like Kobe Bryant, who emulated Jordan's style and competitiveness to a T.

Check out the clip of the Dream Team discussing the infamous Michael Jordan scrimmage below.