Charles Barkley has stirred the pot once again in the never-ending GOAT debate, firmly placing LeBron James as the seventh-greatest player of all time and making it clear that even the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves doesn’t change that.
Speaking on Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich, Barkley directly addressed recent rumors claiming he downgraded LeBron’s legacy after the Lakers were eliminated in five games by Minnesota.
“I’ve always said LeBron on my list; he’s number seven all-time. I got Wilt, Kareem, Bill Russell, Michael, and Oscar. I got Kobe 6 and LeBron 7.”This isn’t a new take from Barkley, who’s long criticized modern GOAT discourse. In his eyes, it’s lazy to reduce greatness to just stats. For Barkley, the fear factor matters.
Barkley also dismissed the notion that LeBron’s recent playoff flameout against the Timberwolves should hurt his standing historically.
While some fans found it outrageous to hear LeBron ranked behind Kobe Bryant, Barkley didn’t flinch as he said in the past:
“I always use this analogy because I don’t even put LeBron above Kobe. The difference is LeBron is a nice guy. Nobody ever said that s*** about Michael and Kobe.”
Barkley has long criticized how modern fans and media push LeBron into the GOAT conversation by relying too heavily on cumulative stats. He used one comparison to end the debate cold in the past.”LeBron has played how many more seasons than MJ and he’s still behind him that’s crazy. I love LeBron but for him to be that far behind MJ and he’s played eight more seasons? C’mon man, y’all need to stop this.”
And Barkley hasn’t held back when discussing those who argue otherwise.
“I love LeBron. But most of the people calling him the GOAT probably never even saw Michael Jordan play. The closest they got was watching The Last Dance. That ain’t the same as seeing him destroy people night after night. Jordan was a different animal.”
After 22 seasons, four championships, and the all-time scoring record, James has little left to prove. But Barkley’s blunt assessment shows that not everyone views his resume the same way. In Barkley’s eyes, LeBron might be the greatest of his generation, but the NBA’s true pantheon is still led by Michael Jordan, and it’s not particularly close.
