Charles Barkley has made a pretty bold claim about LeBron James and his GOAT case. The King has gotten closer to Michael Jordan in recent years, and this one, he could do a lot more, according to his fans and some analysts, like Max Kellerman.
For instance, Chuck claimed that the King winning the championship with the Lakers this year would put him in a privileged position to challenge Michael Jordan’s GOAT status.
The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have the easiest path to the NBA Finals, given all the big rivals they’ll have to face to get there. However, if they manage to do so, that would be huge for Bron, and Barkley recently said that’d give many people a different perspective on LeBron and his position among the greatest of all time (3:56).
“I’m going to be blasphemous for a minute. If LeBron James can get this team to the championship, three straight rounds on the road in the West, and then beat whoever comes out of the East, we’re going to have a serious conversation after that.”
The Lakers will start their participation in the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. After that, they could face MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets. If they get past the Serbian big man, the Los Angeles Clippers or the Utah Jazz could be waiting for them in the Western Conference Finals.
Lastly, they could face the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. If they go through all these rivals, the Lakers will have an arduous journey. Truth be told, LeBron’s case would be a lot better compared to Jordan.
But Chuck isn’t putting him ahead of MJ just yet. In fact, he said Bron winning his 5th ring this season would move him past Kobe Bryant, who’s better in Barkley’s book.
“I would move him past Kobe because I have Kobe one spot ahead of LeBron on the all-time list. But if he is able to win three straight series on the road in the West, and he can beat the Brooklyn Nets, we might have to have a real conversation about the GOAT.”
There’s a lot at stake in this playoffs and James is ready to take his Lakers to the promised land once again. The job won’t be hard and if Bron pulls this off, a lot of haters will have to shut it and appreciate what he’s done.
