Tiger Woods: Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley Offer Advice

Since November 2009, Tiger Woods's life has been turned upside down.

After confessing to a string of affairs, Woods has tried to rebuild his private life following an expensive divorce. Woods has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, and hasn't won any tournament since 2009. His world ranking has fallen to No. 20 as he has tried to rehab from knee and Achilles tendon injuries suffered during the U.S. Masters in April.

This week he returns to the Tour for the first time since he pulled out of the Players Championship in May after playing just nine holes.

An avid basketball fan, Woods is now receiving advice from two NBA legends: Michael Jordan and Charles Barkely.

"He was very fragile over the last year, he was dealing with a lot of different things, mentally as well as physically," Jordan told the Sydney Herald Sun. "But I think he's come to the conclusion that he needs to heal himself before he can actually be aggressive again.

"And because the battle was a lot tougher than I thought even Tiger realized a while ago, he needs to heal before he gets back into these battles again."

Barkley, who has a brotherly relationship with Woods, and is considered one of the most known straight-shooters in broadcasting, had a different take when it came to Woods.

"One of the keys to being successful is surrounding yourself with people who are always going to be honest," Barkley said to Brian Berger of Sports Insider, a radio program. "You've got to understand, most people who are around you [when you're famous] work for you or are just kiss asses... That's a major problem. You need to surround yourself with good people who are not going to kiss your ass and tell you what you want to hear. Who are always going to be honest.

"That's a really, really big problem especially when you're in the limelight. Because the people around you work for you, they want you to buy the dinners all the time, buy the drinks... you have to have a group around you that will tell you that what you're doing is wrong and help you make good decisions."