Charles Barkley slams LeBron James for retirement talk in aftermath of series loss to Denver Nuggets

Charles Barkley was not a fan of LeBron James discussing a potential retirement after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets.

After the Western Conference Finals, James contemplated his future and said he had a lot to think about. Although it’s widely expected he’ll return to Los Angeles for the 2023-24 season.

However, Barkley joined The Dan Patrick Show and put James on blast for taking the attention away from Denver’s achievement.

“He knows them fools on ESPN are gonna talk about it,” Barkley said Friday. “They still talking about it. I actually turned my television off the next day because the first two blocks were all about LeBron instead of what the Denver Nuggets have accomplished.

“I think he did it intentionally. There’s no way he’s retiring. LeBron’s such a good dude and he’s got his stuff together. I was disappointed he took the shine away from the Nuggets.”

Whether James did it intentionally is a different conversation, but Barkley clearly isn’t a fan of all of the “LeBron James” talk on ESPN and other outlets. To be fair, James is the needle mover, but it’s understandable to see why Barkley was irked over it.

Denver completed a sweep and featured guys like two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and star guard Jamal Murray. They’re likely the favorite in the NBA Finals regardless if they play Miami or Boston.

But, you can’t beat a James story.

LeBron James expected to return to Lakers in 2023-24

James, 38, flirted with the idea of retirement immediately following Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in which the Denver Nuggets finished off a sweep of the Lakers.

“Going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about,” James told reporters.

James is under contract for the 2023-24 campaign as part of the two-year, $97 million deal he signed last August. He has a player option for the following season worth $50.4 million. The four-time NBA champion and 19-time All-Star had one of his best seasons to date in 2022-23.

Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said that the organization would give James the time to contemplate his future.

In 55 games this regular season, James finished with 28.9 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, 6.8 assists per game, shot 50% from the floor and 32.1% from three-point range.

Nick Geddes contributed to this report.