WIZ KIDS?

If you believe Charles Barkley, there is a 99.9% chance that Michael Jordan will return next season to play in the NBA--and Barkley will join him with the Washington Wizards.

Barkley said in an interview with The Times that, if all goes according to plan, he and Jordan will make their decisions by the end of June.

Noting that Doug Collins is leaving his job as NBC’s No. 1 commentator to become coach of the Wizards, Barkley said, “If that isn’t an indication that Michael is coming back, I don’t know what is.”

Jordan previously declined an interview with The Times on the subject.

Barkley, who was in Los Angeles on Tuesday for an appearance on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” said that when his broadcasting duties with TNT end May 24, he’ll move in with Jordan in Chicago for a month of serious training before a decision is made.

Barkley said Jordan came to his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week, and Saturday they played in a scrimmage at the gym Barkley uses. Penny Hardaway and some area college players took part, Barkley said.

“Michael looked great,” he said.

Barkley, who says he is working out twice a day and as much as three hours at a time, has lost 45 pounds since he and Jordan began training for their possible comebacks at the start of the year. He now weighs 292 and would like to get down to about 265. Jordan has lost 25 pounds.

According to Barkley, Jordan called just before Christmas and said he was thinking about making a comeback and asked Barkley to join him. He said the only reason he is coming back is because Jordan asked.

Although a few publications mentioned rumors of a possible comeback by Jordan, the story didn’t become news until reported by Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly.

“I asked Rick not to write that at that time because the timing was bad,” Barkley said, denying speculation that he was the source for the story.

Jordan said at the time that he was 99.9% sure he was through playing. In an interview with NBC’s Ahmad Rashad that aired April 19, Jordan said he had reduced that percentage to 88% or 85%.

Barkley said Jordan wasn’t ready to retire in 1998, and Jordan, in the NBC interview, said, “It was an exit in which the Chicago Bulls basically said, ‘Hey, you know what, let’s change our direction.’ And subsequently, I accepted that as being the end of my career. But actually it wasn’t one that I chose.”

Barkley said if the Bulls had retained Phil Jackson as coach, Jordan would not have retired.

Jordan is now pushing Barkley to get in shape.

“Did you see that interview Michael did with Ahmad?” Barkley said. “He was talking about me getting down to my playing weight . . . if I can do it.

“I’m on the phone to Michael right after that saying, ‘I caught that subliminal message.’ ”

It seems to be working. Barkley is confident he can lose an additional 25 pounds or so, and be ready, along with Jordan, to play for the Wizards next season.