LeBron James and Kevin Durant recently went head-to-head in the In-Season Tournament. As the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Phoenix Suns, it was a heated battle that ended in the Lakers’ favor. Following the game, the Suns’ Twitter/X account posted a picture with the caption “Respect” that did not sit too well with a particular fan.
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The picture in question featured both LeBron and KD sharing a moment with wide smiles on their faces. This prompted a fan to call out the Suns, King James, and the Slim Reaper. He claimed that he does not like the “friendship” the NBA is now promoting between players. He further elaborated that the reason Michael Jordan is the GOAT is because he “Simply killed everyone in sight!”.
As expected, Durant didn’t take this lying down, and even Bron got involved. Responding to the fan, KD pointed out that “non athletes” will soon learn that friends compete harder against one another. “At some point, yall non athletes gon realize that friends compete harder against one another,” wrote Durant. As for LeBron, he just countered the fan’s point by sharing a picture of MJ with Charles Barkley.
At one point in time, Sir Charles and His Airness were great friends during their playing days, when they competed a lot in the East, with Chuck on the Philadelphia 76ers and MJ on the Chicago Bulls. And, of course, there was also the 1993 NBA Finals. So, to say friends cannot compete with each other is ludicrous.
LeBron James’ example of Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan’s friendship does not hold true in 2023
As LeBron James showed in the picture he shared, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were very close. In fact, some may say that they were best friends. They hung out off the court as well, seeing as they were part of the same 1984 Draft Class. They did a lot together, including playing golf, which was one of their favorite hobbies.
The two even did interviews together, as seen in their infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey. However, things went downhill for them after MJ’s purchase of the Charlotte Hornets. In the past 10 years, Chuck and Jordan’s friendship has taken a hit as they have grown further apart.
The reason for this comes down to Barkley’s criticism of Jordan’s ownership of the Hornets. He believed that the 6x NBA champion wasn’t doing a good job. This, as expected, did not sit well with Jordan, who took offense, leading to them not being on speaking terms.
It’s a shame that they still haven’t been able to patch things up. But fans are still hopeful that they may be able to turn things around soon.
