LeBron James is widely regarded as one of the two greatest players of all time, but Hall of Famer Charles Barkley refuses to put him anywhere near that high. Barkley shared his list of the greatest players of all time during an appearance on The MacZone, and James had to settle for seventh.
“I got Michael [Jordan], Oscar [Robertson], Wilt [Chamberlain], Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], and Bill Russell,” Barkley said. “That’s my top five. I got Kobe [Bryant] six, I got LeBron seven, I got Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird and Tim Duncan, and Jerry West. Those are like my top 10 players.”
That’s actually 11 players, not 10. Barkley has actually consistently put James at seventh and made it clear here that everyone is entitled to their opinion. He then expressed his frustrations with James’ supporters.
“That’s the one thing about the LeBron group,” Barkley said. “If you don’t say he’s the greatest ever, it’s like you committed treason. I said he’s one of the 10 greatest. And I said, I would take Michael and Kobe before I take LeBron. Those are the three best basketball players I’ve ever seen in my life.
“But for some reason, when you don’t say LeBron is the best, his minions go ballistic and crazy,” Barkley continued. “I’m like, ‘Hey, he’s the third-best basketball player I ever seen. Get over it.'”
So James is the third-best basketball player Barkley has seen, but he’s down at seventh in his list of the greatest players of all time. That’s quite interesting.
Now, if Barkley had James at third, he wouldn’t be getting anywhere near as much stick as he gets. Everyone is indeed entitled to their opinion, but having him that far down is a bit absurd.
James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, one scoring title, and one assists title. The 41-year-old is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has made 22 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams.
It’s fair to put Michael Jordan, who won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles, ahead of James, but six players? He deserves a bit more respect than that, but Barkley isn’t the kind to change his mind because someone tells him to. In the past, he has also left James off his NBA Mount Rushmore. Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Bill Russell made the cut.
We know there are a few things Barkley holds against James when it comes to these discussions. Most notably, he has been very critical of him for forming superteams. Barkley said James is amazing and spectacular, but Jordan didn’t have to join anybody. He won all six of his championships with the Chicago Bulls.
Barkley recently told James, a free agent, to stop chasing the “imaginary Michael Jordan ghost.” The 63-year-old doesn’t want to see him try to pack his team again.
Barkley has also said James would be trying to cheat his way to another championship if he were to go to the Philadelphia 76ers or the Golden State Warriors. He wants him to finish his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Much like with Barkley, James is not going to let outside noise influence him. He’ll go to whatever team he feels is best for him.
