LeBron James once had Charles Barkley check him after calling out Cavs front office despite 97 points from their Big 3
NBA analyst Charles Barkley is known for his direct, candid and honest takes, while LeBron James has a strong personality and refuses to back down. The two went head-to-head in 2017 in one of the great NBA feuds between a player and analyst.
After a disappointing 124-122 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in January 2017, LeBron called for reinforcements. At the time, "King James" was in his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite having All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on the roster, James called on the organization to add "bodies" and said the team needed a "playmaker." In the loss to the Pelicans, James, Irving and Love combined for a whopping 97 points, with Irving finishing with a game-high 49.
James' comments led to a memorable tirade by Charles Barkley during TNT's "Tip-Off" show. The former NBA MVP checked LeBron James for his comments and felt it was unfair for the Cavs guard to continue to ask for more support.
"Inappropriate, whinny, all the above," Barkley said. "He wanted J.R. Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted (Iman) Shumpert last summer. They bought in Kyle Korver. He's the best player in the world. Does he want all the best players? He don't want to compete?"
A few days later, James responded with a jab of his own to Barkley's rant:
"He's a hater. What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV? I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that. I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas."
James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first and only NBA championship in 2016, defeating the Golden State Warriors in seven games. The Cavs returned to the NBA finals in 2017 and 2018 but lost out to the Warriors on both occasions.
After completing his second spell in Cleveland, James moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Barkley picked Michael Jordan over LeBron James as the greatest basketball player in NBA history
The LeBron James versus Michael Jordan greatest of all time debate has raged on over the years, with both players garnering plenty of support from their loyal fanbases.
Charles Barkley, who competed against Jordan during his playing days and played alongside him on the USA men's national team, believes there can only be one winner in the GOAT debate. In 2018, Barkley made the following comments:
"Any media person I see for the rest of my life who tries to tell me LeBron James is as good as Michael Jordan, I'm just going to slap the hell out of them right on the spot."
LeBron James is a four-time league MVP and has won four championships with three different teams over an illustrious 21-year NBA career.
Michael Jordan, who spent his entire 15-year career with the Chicago Bulls, has six NBA championships to his name and was named the MVP on five occasions.