Charles Barkley makes big LeBron James accusation

May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley is still upset over LeBron James’ retirement rumors overshadowing the end of the Western Conference Finals, and he doubled down on his criticisms last week.

In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Barkley was asked if he believed James strategically hinted at retirement after the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets. The TNT analyst suggested James’ move was no coincidence, and that he “took the shine away” from Denver’s accomplishment.

“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.”

Few would doubt that James did not have a strategic element behind his cryptic comments. Barkley was upset about them in the moment, but was more critical of the media coverage than what James actually said. These remarks essentially take that criticism a step further.

What Barkley did not address is why James would go out of his way to seize the spotlight. Maybe he wants to put pressure on the Lakers, because it seems unlikely he would do it just for the attention.