Charles Barkley, the celebrated player and former NBA MVP, appeared on a podcast hosted by former NFL player Shannon Sharpe.
At that time, Charles Barkley also touched on the potential retirement of LeBron James. After the loss to the Denver Nuggets, James didn’t want to talk about plans for the next season. He’s the leading scorer in NBA history and this season has averaged an impressive 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds. Barkley has an interesting stance on this matter.
“I hope he retires soon because I hated the way I retired. I remember telling myself my last two years, ‘Ok, I’m going to get myself in great shape, I’m going to have a good year, then I’m going to retire.’ Then I figured out, like, playing against air… Everybody is good against air. Everybody is great against air,” said Charles Barkley.
Barkley ultimately explained that he simply couldn’t compete against younger players in the end, and he would like LeBron James to retire while he can still play. However, the chances of that happening this summer are slim, as there are growing rumors that the Lakers want to trade Bronny James after the draft, fulfilling LeBron’s lifelong wish to play with his son in the NBA.