Charles Barkley isn’t backing away from his criticism of LeBron James’ team-building approach.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, the Hall of Famer doubled down on his long-held belief that James has “stacked” teams throughout his career, while disputing Patrick’s suggestion that LeBron “built” the Los Angeles Lakers.
“He always stacks his teams. He didn’t build a team, he manufactured it. His agents forced them to trade for Anthony Davis, who was ran by his group, Klutch. Klutch specifically said he had to go to the Lakers. Anthony Davis specifically said because of Klutch I will only go to the Lakers. So you think that’s naturally organic? No, that’s stacking your team.”
Barkley’s comments reference the blockbuster 2019 trade that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles after Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis was represented by Klutch Sports, the same agency that represents James, and publicly listed the Lakers as his preferred destination before the deal was completed.
Somehow the NBA did not view this as tampering.
Barkley has been one of James’ most outspoken critics over the years, frequently arguing that the four-time NBA champion has exercised an unprecedented level of influence over roster construction compared to previous superstars.
At one point, an exasperated Barkley, annoyed by LeBron’s incessant angling for top players to join his team, posed the question “Does he want all the good players? He don’t want to compete?”
The debate over whether James “built” championship teams or “stacked” them by leveraging player movement and agency relationships has remained one of the NBA’s most polarizing discussions, and Barkley made it clear he hasn’t changed his stance.
