LeBron James exited the high road and struck back at longtime tormenter Charles Barkley, calling him a “hater” days after Barkley called him “whiny.”
There is no love lost between James, four-time MVP of the NBA, and Barkley, TNT’s provocative “Inside the NBA” analyst who never won a league title but seems to take special glee in criticizing three-time champion James.
James’ anger boiled over following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 104-97 loss in Dallas on Monday, which dropped the slumping Cavs to 7-8 for January as they struggle to find the form that enabled them to come back from a 3-1 deficit and defeat the Golden State Warriors for the crown last season, mostly by riding on James’ shoulders.