Charles Barkley 'disappointed' LeBron James teased retirement
Even though the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers last week, the story became about LeBron James after he appeared to tease his retirement, indicating that coming back for season No. 21 isn’t a layup.
The media coverage mainly became about James’ potential retirement and not the Nuggets’ dominance, and that didn’t sit well with Charles Barkley, who addressed it again on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” Barkley answered when asked if he thought James’ public retirement pondering was intended to keep the attention on him after being swept. “Because he knew those fools on ESPN were gonna talk about it! They’re still talking about it! I actually turned my television off the next day because the first two blocks were all about LeBron instead of what the Denver Nuggets accomplished.”
Barkley believes it was all calculated.
“I think he did it intentionally,” he said of James. “There’s no way he’s retiring. LeBron’s such a good dude and he’s got his stuff together. I was disappointed he took the shine away from the Nuggets.”
In James’ postgame presser following the final loss to Denver, he said, “We’ll see what happens going forward. I don’t know… I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally, going forward, the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.”
Charles Barkley looks on prior to game three of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Getty Images
LeBron James speaks to the media after Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. NBAE via Getty Images
Earlier this week, Barkley was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show and echoed similar sentiments.
“I was disappointed in LeBron,” he said. “He had to know that these fools on TV were gonna talk about it all the time. I got so frustrated the other day watching television. The first two stories were LeBron retiring, not about how great the Denver Nuggets played.
He added, “And hell no, LeBron isn’t gonna retire!”
Barkley also said during TNT’s coverage of Game 4 between the Heat and Celtics that he was annoyed about how ESPN mainly discussed James.
“I was so mad [Tuesday] morning I actually turned the TV off,” Barkley said. “Because the Denver Nuggets, who have been the best team in the world all season, sweep, get to the finals for the first time [and coverage was on LeBron.]”
Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets dribbles the ball during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. NBAE via Getty Images
According to Spotrac, James will make close to $47 million next season as part of a two-year $97 million extension inked last summer.
James also has a player option for the 2024-25 season, in which he’d turn 40, that’s worth north of $50 million.
Source: New York Post
