Charles Barkley ‘sad’ LeBron James to retire

NBA

as if Brian Fonseca

May 28, 2023 | 4:42 p.m

Even though the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers last week, after the story appeared about LeBron James teasing his retirement, that was no set-up for the season’s No. 21 comeback.

Media coverage was mainly about James’ potential retirement, not the Nuggets’ dominance, and that was not a good thing, as Charles Barkley talked about again on “The Dan Patrick Show.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Barkley responded when asked if James’ public retirement speculation was meant to keep the focus on him after the build-up. Because he knows those idiots on ESPN are talking about him! They are still talking! I turned off my TV the next day because the first two blocks were more about LeBron than anything the Denver Nuggets had accomplished.

Barkley believes it’s all calculated.

“I think he did it on purpose,” he said of James. “There’s no way he’s going to retire. LeBron is a great guy and has put his stuff together. I was disappointed that it took the light off the nuggets.

“We’ll see what happens in the future,” James said in his postgame presser following the final loss to Denver. I don’t know… I have a lot to think about to be honest. Just for me, the future, the game of basketball, I have a lot to think about.

Earlier this week, Barkley was a guest on The Pat McPhee Show and echoed similar sentiments.

“I was disappointed in LeBron,” he said. “He should have known these idiots on TV talk about it all the time. I was so upset watching TV the other day. The first two stories were about LeBron retiring, not how well the Denver Nuggets played.

He added, “And hell no, LeBron is not retiring!”

Barkley said during TNT’s coverage of Game 4 between the Heat and Celtics that he was primarily upset with how ESPN discussed James.

“I was very angry. [Tuesday] I turned off the TV in the morning,” Barkley said. Because the Denver Nuggets, who have been the best team in the world all season, are going to make it to the finals for the first time. [and coverage was on LeBron.]”

According to Spotrac , James was part of a two-year, $97 million extension last summer that will reach $47 million next season.

James also has a player option for the 2024-25 season, when he will turn 40, worth north of $50 million.