[ESPN]LeBron James rips Charles Barkley: You're the NBA bad boy, not me

SHAQ with that Donald Trump personality. Lol

 

Charles: I have no problem with what LeBron said. Everything is not true. Most of it is. I've done some stupid stuff in my life. I've been doing this job for 15-16 years. I've never said anything personal and never will. All my commentary is strictly basketball. I said if I'm the best player, which he is, he has Love, Irving & Thompson, I'll take my chances against anyone. I'll never get personal. It's been fun sitting back listening & watching. People left me messages on my jackass phone. Jackass phone has been blowing up. LeBron is one of the ten greatest players I've ever seen. What he & his guys have done business wise has been amazing. My comments, I stick by it. I'll never get personal.

Do I take exception to it? I've done stupid things in my life. When you say stuff, people will come back at you. I did stupid things in my life. That doesn't make my argument less valid. My argument was strictly basketball related.

Want to talk to him?

Chuck: I've met him 10 times in my life. We do not have to be friends. I'm not friends with most of these young guys. That doesn't mean we have to say positive stuff all the time.

Want to clear the air?

Chuck: Anyone who thinks my comments were unfair,... I don't think they were unfair. Carmelo & Westbrook don't have help. For him to say we don't have enough...

Kenny: From afar, he took exception to he didn't want to compete. It happened to Durant when he went to GS. Does he not want to compete? It's not something people aren't saying or thinking about. When you say you need help & are defending champs, people will think that.

Shaq: Chuck made it personal when he said he doesn't want to compete. When you lose key players, you have to re-group.

Kenny: When Durant went to GS, did you say he doesn't want to compete?

Shaq: Never said that or thought about it. You're damn right I want all the best players. Doesn't matter if you have the highest payroll. Spend money to make money.

Chuck: I'm never gonna get personal. He got help. They're defending champs. Carmelo & Russ saying I need help is understandable. He has Kyrie Irving & Kevin Love who are studs. They are defending champs. I didn't get mad. I went & played golf. I stick 100% to basketball in my criticism of players. It ain't like they have no chance.

Kenny: Life is about perspective. The guy who is riding around in a Ferrari & private jets & says I wish I had an everyday car, I can't understand that perspective. You have a lot my man. You can't complain about not having an everyday car or a play-maker.

Shaq: I'd say this to Hakeem & Clyde's face: you didn't win a championship. You, Sam, Big Shot Bob won the championship. He's talking about the others. MJ, who did he kick it out to? Others. Steve Kerr.

Kenny: When you have guys like JR Smith & Shumpert and Korver...

Shaq: They aren't playing well. They gotta go. I want all the best players.

If you see him all-star weekend...

Chuck: I'll shake his hand. I have no animosity. One of the ten greatest ever. Amazing guy. From 18 to where he is today, amazing. We can criticize.

Kenny: It's gotta be a two-way street.

Shaq: Difference between criticism & personal. When you said he doesn't want to compete, that ticked him off. I would have came up here & punched you in the face.

Chuck: You aren't a good fighter. We have a job to do. Our job is to give our opinion. I look at this, big picture, if we lose to GS or SA and we have Irving, Love & Thompson, I'm good. If I'm Carmelo or Russell Westbrook, I can complain & say I have no help. If I'm the greatest player in the world & two other all-stars...I take my chances. It was done after he said what he said. I'm not 12. I'm 54 in 3 weeks.

 

Shaq is not making sense, as always.

 

If "does he not want to compete" is personal, then all NBA players should have been out rambling because of TNT crew. They all said harsher stuff for almost all the NBA players..

 

If LeBron has a problem with his team, why go to the media with it? Of course if he does that, he should expect some backlash.

 

Shaq made plenty of sense. When Barkley initially said "does he not want to compete", Shaq interrupted him and said you can't be talking about the man doesn't want to compete. I'm lost on how folks can't see how someone could take that as a personal shot. You are essentially telling a man he's scared. Shaq was also spot on about needing "others" to win titles. I also appreciate him for admitting that of course he wants all the best players, since we have never seen a star say "nah, it's too many good guys alongside me".

 

So you think Durant going to GSW is a great move then. When people say he doesn't want to compete, it's a personal attack?

Yes, it's personal. But it's personal in the basketball sense. Just like rooting for the Rockets, or any team, or any player, is personal. Calling a player soft is personal. Saying a player is a scrub is personal. But it's personal only in the basketball sense.

LeBron attacking Barkley's legacy, or lack of, is also personal. But it's personal only in the basketball sense. And to me it's fair game if you are a professional basketball player. LeBron wants to be a hero, and have a great legacy. That's great. But it also comes with criticism. If you attack the guy's family, or his appearance, or something unrelated to his profession, then that REAL personal.

BTW, when I said Shaq did not make sense, I did not mean to say i disagree with him. I meant that his speech and thoughts were incoherent.

 

I agree that LeBron took it from outside of the aspects of basketball, but that doesn't mean Barkley didn't insult him "personally" while discussing basketball. Like Shaq said, you got personal with him and he got personal with you. Calling a man a coward is not any type of basketball analysis.

 

You've repeatedly made this point very clear and it's beyond me why some here still don't get it.

Anyone who thinks Barkley's comment about LeBron's competitiveness was "purely about basketball" and not an attack on his character are beyond reason.

However, IMO, LeBron diminished himself by going down to Barkley's level.

Chuck's statement "I'm never gonna get personal" might be one of the most dishonest things he's ever said on TV. What a joking loser. Even after Shaq threw it right in his face, he refuses to admit what he said.

 

This shows that TNT is the best show and gets the best ratings.

Nobody cares about what those fools on ESPN says, Tmac, Stephen A Smith etc. But when Chuck or Kenny says something everybody listen.
LeBron is pissed because Charles is pretty much saying what most people think.

I thought the Cavs getting Korver was unfair. They are stacked and they are over the cap.

 

We constantly comment about a player's character WITH RESPECT TO BASKETBALL. What do you think people mean when they say a player is "lazy" or "selfish"? Aren't those comment "personal"? What do people mean when they say that Durant tarnished his legacy by signing on with the Warriors? What do you think people mean when they criticize Dwight and TMac of quitting on the team? Aren't those character attacks?

On the flip side, we also constantly make positive comments about a player. When they say Yao was a hard worker, wasn't that "personal"? If you can make positive comments about a player's character WITH RESPECT TO BASKETBALL, why can't people make negative comments?

 

Lebron going to the media will elicit whatever response that comes with it naturally. If someone important enough with the reach like Barkley has had said "Wow, lebron wants to win so badly, he's not afraid to throw his team's management into the spotlight or his own teammates who aren't performing to his standards. What laser focus determination to win, what a leader!", would lebron have complained?
Lebron unfortunately is developing some thin skin after the championship, or he didn't think further about what kind of response he would encounter. He's probably thinking no one would say something so critical out loud and his response is indication enough to how true the criticism coming back to him is.