LeBron James takes blunt shots at Charles Barkley and others after $244,623,120 star rejects face of the league honor

Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA crew watched LeBron James and Anthony Edwards face each other on Thursday. James, who finished the game with 33 points, led the LA Lakers to a 111-102 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. LA's defense managed to hold Ant-Man to 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting.

After the game, King James had this to say when asked to comment about Edwards refusing to take the “Face of the NBA” tag:

"Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game on a day-to-day basis s**t on everybody? Obviously, I didn't ask for it. I feel Ant [Edwards]. I understand. This is weird energy when it comes to that.”

Edwards, who signed a five-year, $244.6 million contract in 2023, told reporters during the All-Star weekend that he did not want that honor. The Timberwolves guard said he would not take that mantle because “that’s what they got Wemby for.”

Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and other former NBA players reacted to Edwards’ comments. Barkley said that the distinction had to be earned, not given. Sir Charles added that LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Steph Curry and Shaq won the distinction.

LeBron James is 40 years old and Steph Curry is 36. Somebody will soon have to step up to claim the title of "Face of the NBA." King James does not see anyone wanting to grab the distinction considering the pressure and attacks from the media.

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Charles Barkley once asked fans and analysts to stop comparing Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan

Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves reached the Western Conference finals behind the exploits of Anthony Edwards. The string of impressive performances from Ant-Man added fuel to comparisons between him and Michael Jordan.

Charles Barkley had this to say about the comparisons:

“America, please stop the Michael Jordan stuff. This guy’s had one good playoff run. I think he’s going to be a great player, he’s a really nice kid and we root for him.”

Shaquille O’Neal interrupted by asking him if Edwards was “close” to Jordan.

Barkley emphatically replied:

“Hell no! Close to who? They both black.”

The loss to LeBron James and the LA Lakers dropped Minnesota’s record to 32-28 for eighth place in the Western Conference. If the Timberwolves fail to make the playoffs, count on Charles Barkley to keep reminding people not to compare Edwards to Jordan.