Charles Barkley Unconvinced by LeBron James’ “Borderline” All-Star Bid, Wants Other Players to Shine

Joseph Galizia | 29/01/2026
Charles Barkley(L) and Lebron James(R)

LeBron James not being named an All-Star starter this year felt strange at first. Almost wrong. For two decades, The King’s spot in that lineup was a given. But this time there was no outrage, no shock, just a quiet shrug from the league and the fans. That alone says a lot about where things are headed.

It does not mean the 41-year-old icon is washed or irrelevant, because that would be ridiculous. It does mean the league has finally turned the page toward younger stars who now own the spotlight. It didn’t help that he missed the early portion of the season due to sciatica on his right side. LeBron has already said that it doesn’t bother him, and by the looks of it, it’s not bothering most of the basketball landscape either.

Several NBA legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have since discussed if he will be selected as a reserve on the All-Star team. Chuck in particular was a little more vocal about why he doesn’t think the four-time NBA Champ needs to be included, especially since there are younger/hungrier players who want a chance to shine in that environment. He gave these thoughts on the latest Inside The NBA.

“We already have the starters and I want to give some other guys coming off the bench some shine,” stated Barkley. The unfortunate thing about this is that the All-Star game has lost such allure that it doesn’t even really seem to matter to the players that much. Chuck means well obviously, but this isn’t like the MLB ASG, where winning is important for either Conference. As Carmelo Anthony explained, this is really just a show.

But getting named an All-Star does still mean something, especially to someone like Barkley. When asked if LeBron belongs on the team at all by the rest of the Inside the NBA panel, the Suns legend responded, “It’s borderline.” And while that in itself speaks volumes about The King’s future, it wasn’t even the biggest point he was trying to make.

“The one guy I’m going to war for is Dillon Brooks. I think Dillon Brooks deserves to be an All-Star,” added Chuck. Whether you love him or hate him, Brooks has been a tremendous asset to the Suns this year. He’s been Ironman-esque, playing 41 games and averaging 20.5 points and 1.1 steals a night all while co-leading the Suns to an impressive 28-19 record.

The All-Star debate is no longer about making room for LeBron out of habit. It is about deciding who actually deserves the moment right now. That shift matters more than whether he makes the team as a reserve.

LeBron is still productive. His numbers are greater than Dillon as he’s putting up 22/6/7 on 50% from the field while the Lakers have a greater record than the Suns.

He’s still respected, still box office, but the league is clearly preparing for life without centering every major event around him. When respected voices start comfortably arguing for Dillon Brooks over LeBron James, that is not disrespect, it is the natural sign of an era winding down.

Post Edited By: Samir Mehdi
Charles Barkley dillon brooks LeBron James

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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