After years of ignoring snarky comments and critiques, LeBron James finally went all in on Charles Barkley.
Barkley frequently criticizes James on TNT’s Inside the NBA, most recently calling him “inappropriate, whiny, all of the above” after James’ decision to call out team management for not getting another playmaker.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers, they have given him everything he wanted,” Barkley said. “They have the highest payroll in NBA history. He wanted J.R. Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted [Iman] Shumpert last summer. They brought in Kyle Korver. He’s the best player in the world. Does he want all of the good players? He don’t want to compete? He is an amazing player. They’re the defending champs.”
LeBron hit back in an interview with ESPN after the Cavs’ loss to the Mavericks in Dallas Monday night, saying, “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,” he added. “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. I never said, ‘I’m not a role model.’ I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying. All I’ve done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that.”
