Years of being criticized by TNT's Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley has finally taken a toll on Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James. After being passive on his comments on most occasions, James has had enough of the barbs thrown at him by Barkley.
Via a report by ESPN, LeBron James told reporters after the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-97 loss to the lowly Dallas Mavericks that Charles Barkley is a hater and even questioned his credibility. LeBron James has been frustrated with the recent slump of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The recent comments by Charles Barkley didn't help his mood at all.
"He's a hater," James told ESPN of Barkley on Monday. "What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV?"
After Charles Barkley criticized LeBron James for calling out the Cleveland Cavaliers and their front office, James has been simmering these past couple of days. It finally reached a boiling point when James was asked to comment on Barkley's recent shot at him.
It may be recalled that LeBron James called out the Cleveland Cavaliers' roster early this month while in the midst of a slump. James wanted an upgrade to the current roster, specifically in the point guard position.
LeBron James even called out Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert for not wanting to spend money for a roster upgrade and even questioned the Cavaliers front office's desire to defend the title. According to a report from ESPN, James and Gilbert are at odds over payroll spending.
Charles Barkley then called LeBron James' comments inappropriate and whiny during an episode last week of Inside the NBA. Barkley went on by explaining that the Cleveland Cavaliers have given James everything he wanted, from J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, to Kyle Korver.
This is not the first time that Charles Barkley has thrown barbs at LeBron James. Just last summer, Barkley told HBO's Bill Simmons that James would never be one of the top 5 best players in NBA history.
