National Basketball Association

Charles Barkley explains why he ranks Michael Jordan over LeBron James

Updated Aug. 7, 2021 7:34 p.m. ET

Charles Barkley never won an NBA title, but that won't stop him from weighing the value of other greats' championship résumés.

In Sir Charles' court of opinion, superstars who hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy with their original teams rank ahead of those who join forces with other stars to form a superteam.

During an episode of "Back On The Record with Bob Costas" on HBO earlier this week, Barkley said that is the primary reason why he ranks Michael Jordan ahead of LeBron James in the GOAT debate. Jordan, of course, won his six NBA championships all with the Chicago Bulls, while James has won two in Miami, one in Cleveland and one with the Lakers.

In fact, Barkley says he doesn't even rank LeBron as the No. 2 player of all time, because James had to bolt Cleveland for Miami to win his first two titles by joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

"LeBron is amazing. What he has done in the community is amazing, " Barkley said before adding that he also ranks Kobe Bryant ahead of James.

"LeBron has stacked his teams. Let's be realistic."

Barkley said he holds the same critique for Kevin Durant, who won his two NBA titles after joining Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on a loaded Warriors squad. And Durant is now chasing more titles in Brooklyn alongside All-Star guards Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Barkley said he has much more respect for superstars who stick with the teams that drafted them and battle through adversity, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo did with Milwaukee this summer or Dirk Nowitzki did in Dallas in 2011.

"To go through the grind and to lose – which Michael did. When I was watching that documentary ["The Last Dance" on ESPN in 2020], I was like, ‘Damn, I forgot how much the Pistons beat him up.’ But going through that struggle, that's what separates sports," the "Inside the NBA" analyst said.

"The struggle is part of your legacy."

As you might imagine, given the intensity around all aspects of the GOAT debate, the basketball world had plenty of reaction to Barkley's comments.

Richard Jefferson, who was part of the James-led Cavaliers team that delivered Cleveland's only NBA championship in 2016, pointed out that Barkley himself was no stranger to being part of a stacked roster.

When Barkley was drafted by Philadelphia in 1984, he joined a Sixers roster that already featured Hall of Famers Moses Malone, Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks, and All-Star Andrew Toney.

In 1992, Barkley was traded to a Phoenix Suns squad that had averaged 54 wins over its previous four seasons. He won his only NBA MVP award in 1992-93 and advanced to the only NBA Finals of his career with the Suns. Barkley played his final four seasons in Houston, where he joined a roster that featured Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

Nick Wright also came to James' defense Friday on FS1's "First Things First," pointing out King James had very little help in his first seven seasons in Cleveland, yet still carried the Cavs to an NBA Finals in 2007 and four other trips to the Eastern Conference finals.

"What would people have asked LeBron to do? I am just curious," Wright asked. "Would they have liked LeBron to just stick it out in Cleveland? Because this wasn't a Durant [in] Oklahoma City situation – where you had Russ, and you had James Harden before they traded him away, and Serge Ibaka.

"LeBron spent seven years in Cleveland the first time around. The best teammate he had initially was Ricky Davis. It then was Zydrunas Ilgauskas. It then was Larry Hughes. And it culminated with Mo Williams."

Following James' departure for Miami in 2010, Cleveland finished last in its division for the next three years and averaged just 24 wins per season.

When James returned in 2014, he carried the Cavs to four straight Finals trips, including that magical title run in 2016.

If James is going to add to his four championships next season in Los Angeles, he'll do so with another star-laden roster as his Lakers added Russell Westbrook to form a new power trio with Anthony Davis and James.