Charles Barkley Once Called Out LeBron For Stacking His Teams And Commended Michael Jordan For Embracing The Struggle

Back in 2021, Charles Barkley appeared on Back On The Record With Bob Costas. The show’s host asked him who’s the better player; Michael Jordan or LeBron James? The 76ers legend commended James while choosing Jordan over a single aspect.

“The reason why I put Michael up there, before those other guys, LeBron had stacked his teams. Let’s be realistic. Like, what Giannis and Dirk Nowitzki, guys like that, especially Giannis is the perfect example. They go through the grind and to lose, which Michael did.”

The Hall of Famer used Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dirk Nowitzki as examples of players to emphasize why he chose Michael over LeBron.

“Going through that struggle, that’s what separates sports… The struggle is part of your legacy… When the Pistons beat the hell out of him for three or four straight years and he’s like, ‘No, I’m gonna keep getting better, I’m gonna keep getting better.’ That’s the difference in my opinion.”

Barkley’s main point of argument was the grind that Jordan went through before reaching the top. Instead of getting traded to another team or asking the front office for help, MJ worked on himself all those years when he faced disappointment in the playoffs till he was able to overcome that hump.

Whereas, James always had an All-Star teammate with him every time he made it to the NBA Finals. Now, one could argue that Bron took a lackluster Cavs team to the Finals back in 2007. But since then, he has never made another trip to the Finals by himself. 

Barkley’s been going off on Bron for years

James broke numerous records, took the Cavs to the playoffs since his rookie year, and more. But it was after he brought the first NBA championship to the franchise that he solidified his status as the greatest player in Cavaliers history.

But even after accomplishing a feat he had set out for more than a decade ago, Sir Charles wasn’t impressed with James’ take after winning a title as he went off on The King back in 2017.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers, they have given him everything he wants. They have the highest payroll in NBA history, he wanted JR Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted (Imam) Shumpert last summer, they brought in Kyle Korver. He is the best player in the world. Does he want all the good players? He don’t wanna compete?”

Charles Barkley after Lebron asked for more help despite just having won a championship with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving:

Does he want all the good players? He dont want to compete. He wants to be the favorite all the time?

Lebrons lack of skills is why he needs so much help,… pic.twitter.com/oJA112BNYO

— Thetruth (@Thetruth8240) September 1, 2024

Barkley was muffed with Bron’s constant need for good players who fulfill his certain needs on the floor. He simply pointed out the fact that he can’t be the G.O.A.T. or even be part of the G.O.A.T. debate if he needs superteams to compete.