"Don't want you whipping my a**" - Charles Barkley makes fun of Stephen A. Smith's viral face-off against LeBron James

Charles Barkley could not resist making fun of Stephen A. Smith following the ESPN analyst’s confrontation with LeBron James last week. The viral moment occurred on March 7, when the New York Knicks visited Crypto.com Arena to face the LA Lakers. During a huddle before the start of the fourth quarter, James stood up and called out Smith over the sports journalist’s comments about Bronny James.

On Thursday, Barkley took a jab at his soon-to-be ESPN colleague while discussing James’ injury recovery with his "Inside the NBA" co-hosts:

“You gotta be careful talking about LeBron," Barkley said. "I don’t want him running up on me. LeBron, get well soon. We love you, LeBron. I don’t want you whipping my a** or anything like that in the stadium. Ain’t nothing worse than getting your a** beat in front of 20,000 people."

“He can whoop your a** and curb your enthusiasm! He’s enthusiastically whooping your a**. You can’t even write that.”

Charles Barkley found the situation especially amusing because comedian Larry David had a front-row seat to the confrontation. However, he wasn’t just making fun of Smith — he also took a subtle shot at LeBron James’ sensitivity by mocking the encounter.

Stephen A. Smith said in his podcast a day after the incident that the four-time MVP confronted him about Bronny James. According to Smith, the 40-year-old forward wanted him to stop talking about his son.

Smith later appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, claiming that James wasn’t upset simply because he talked about Bronny. Instead, the four-time NBA champion was angered because Smith’s comments resonated with him as a father.

In late January, Smith publicly urged James to stop putting Bronny in the spotlight. The analyst added that people were aware the rookie was in the NBA because of his father’s status as a superstar.

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Charles Barkley discusses LeBron James' absence

LeBron James reportedly flew back to LA before the Lakers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. While the team upgraded his status to day-to-day, Barkley was unsurprised by the Lakers’ decision to send their star player home.

At halftime of the Bucks-Lakers game, Charles Barkley said:

"He wasn't going to play anyway. LeBron's probably out for the rest of the season. I don't see him coming back. We don't have to ask his agent. He stayed in New York because it was New York. He didn’t wanna go to Milwaukee cause it’s Milwaukee. That’s why he flew back home.”

The Lakers begin a five-game homestand on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. If James suits up, he could prove Charles Barkley wrong.