Charles Barkley wanted LeBron James back where his career began, not on a two-year deal in Philadelphia.
The Hall of Famer and TNT analyst returned to the subject this week in an interview with Kyle Odegard of Casino Guru News.
“I was surprised and disappointed he went to Philly,” Barkley said.
“I was hoping he’d go back to Cleveland to finish his career.”
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James left the Los Angeles Lakers and signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers, a deal he agreed on 24 July and formalised three days later. He called Philadelphia his “last decision” and said the pull was another title rather than money, after briefly considering retirement.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James said in the club’s announcement.
‘He has no affiliation with Philly’
Barkley made the same case in July, telling ESPN Cleveland he had wanted a very different final chapter.
“I’m disappointed. I wanted him to go to Cleveland. He has no natural affiliation with Philly,” Barkley said.
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“I thought it would be a great way to end his story to finish up in Cleveland.”
Health and ‘a lot of mouths to feed’
The 76ers line up James alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown, who arrived from the Boston Celtics earlier this offseason in a blockbuster that sent Paul George and multiple draft picks the other way.
“Can Joel stay healthy and can LeBron stay healthy? LeBron hasn’t played a full season in probably six years,” Barkley told Casino Guru News.
“They’ve got a lot of mouths to feed. So there will be a lot of questions.”
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He still expects Philadelphia to be an Eastern Conference favourite, but one carrying more variables than most.
“The Eastern Conference is probably better than the Western Conference,” Barkley added.
The New York address that annoyed a city
On the Dan Patrick Show in July, Barkley said James does not even plan to live in Philadelphia.
“He’s going to live in New York and helicopter back in for practice and games. So, the city’s kind of pissed right now,” Barkley told the Dan Patrick Show.
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“Y’all just got LeBron, be happy? He’s not even going to live here. He’s going to live in New York and take a helicopter in for practice and games. I just started laughing because you can’t make this stuff up.”
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