Charles Barkley on rumors he and Michael Jordan corrupted Tiger Woods amid 120-affair scandal: “We knew none of this stuff was going in”

There was a time when Tiger Woods was one of the world’s most famous athletes, renowned and respected for his incredible proficiency on the golf course and marketability off of it. Less than a year after turning pro, he became the world’s top golfer in June 1997 — a title he would hold for most of the first decade of his career.

For a while, it seemed like the entire world was in the palm of Tiger’s hands as he had numerous lucrative endorsement deals with companies like General Motors, American Express and, of course, Nike. However, everything changed in the blink of an eye.

In November 2009, Tiger crashed his SUV in the wee hours of the morning near his home in Florida. While he cited the reason for the crash as a “private matter,” assertions of widespread infidelity by Tiger soon emerged, with many women claiming to have had sexual relations with the iconic golfer.

In the midst of all the chaos, the names of NBA superstars Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were dragged into the mess, allegedly for negatively influencing Tiger’s lifestyle. Barkley, though, did not stand pat and addressed the allegations.

Woods had Barkley confused

According to Barkley, he and Tiger have not spoken to one another since the 2009 incident — an unfortunate development, especially since the former thought they had forged a lifelong bond, not only because they were superstar athletes but also because they shared similar interests.

“You think you’re friends with a guy. You talk to him once a week for 15 years. You’re like, this dude is my friend, we do things, we have fun together,” Barkley said in 2011. “I haven’t talked to him in two years and I’m wondering what the hell is going on.”

“I’m confused [as] to where he’s going,” he added.

Barkley, though, took umbrage at the allegations that he and Jordan were partly to blame for Woods’ illicit behavior, especially since they had no idea the golfer had all that going on — he allegedly confessed to cheating with as many as 120 women behind his wife’s back during their five-year marriage.

“It was interesting sitting back and listening and hearing me and Michael corrupted him, [yet] we knew none of this stuff was going in,” the NBA legend said.

A terrible fall from grace​

Barkley added that the sudden lack of communication from Woods had left him puzzled. One moment, they were close friends who regularly spoke; the next, Woods had completely distanced himself from everyone.

“I’m sitting back like everyone else and saying, what the hell is going on? I just feel sad, to be honest with you,” Barkley conveyed. “You’re like, dude, who is around this guy, who has his back, who has his best interest, who doesn’t want anything from him? I don’t know why we haven’t talked to him in a couple of years.”

Unfortunately for Woods, controversy has continued to hound him to this day. On March 27, 2026, he was involved in a rollover crash near his home on Jupiter Island in Florida. He was charged with two misdemeanors: DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He has since announced that he is stepping away from golf indefinitely to seek treatment.