After winning a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, does LeBron James have a legitimate claim over Michael Jordan as the GOAT? Well, Sir Charles Barkley does not think so. In the mind of the Hall of Famer, he just doesn't see how LeBron can ever surpass MJ — or even Kobe — as the greatest player of all time.
In a recent appearance on HBO's Back On The Record With Bob Costas, Barkley reveals the one reason why he believes Jordan will always have supremacy over LeBron:
“The reason I put Michael up there before those other guys,” Barkley stated, “LeBron has stacked his teams. Let's be realistic.”




Barkley's point becomes even more relevant considering how LeBron and the Lakers overhauled its squad over the past couple of days. Needless to say, there is no shortage of star power in LA right now.
Barkley also mentioned how much he respects the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dirk Nowitzki for “going through the grind” the same way that Michael Jordan did. That is, that neither Giannis nor Dirk had to form a superteam in order to win a title. Just like MJ, both Giannis and Dirk stuck it out with their respective teams. They lost for many years before finally winning a chip with the same team that drafted them.
Clearly, this is not something that LeBron James can say for himself and in Barkley's opinion, this is the very thing that differentiates the Lakers star from Michael Jordan.