Future Hall of Famer LeBron James and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith were at the center of the NBA world the past two weeks because of their public feud.
It was only a matter of time before TNT's Charles Barkley weighed in on the matter. While some have taken sides, Barkley decided to call out both of them during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
He said James was in the wrong for calling out Smith and ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
"They both had an awful week," Barkley said of James and Smith. "LeBron, he's too big to be that type of bully Stephen A and to bully Brian Windhorst. Brian Windhorst is a sweet person. He's just trying to do his thing. I've always liked LeBron but him being a bully, it turned me off."
The incident started earlier this month when James confronted Smith courtside during the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the New York Knicks. A video posted on social media made the encounter go viral.
James then addressed the incident on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week. It led to a response from Smith, who said he would've "swung on" James if things escalated.
"I will say this: Stephen A, the way he reacted was so lame and weak," Barkley said. "Stephen A. is a good dude. I blame LeBron for starting the bullying, going on Pat's show just bullying people. But you know LeBon is a control freak. He knows everything he's doing. He knew when he walked up to Stephen A what he was doing. But the way Stephen A reacted going on Gilbert's podcast talking tough, you're better than that. There's only losers in this scenario ... You've got the biggest star in the game and you probably the biggest star in television and they both look bad."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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