Top 5 times when LeBron James didn't tolerate disrespect from anyone ft. Charles Barkley

LeBron James is possibly the most polarizing NBA superstar in history. "The King" has won four championships, but some people are always pointing out the number of times he lost in the NBA Finals (six). He has proven that he's qualified to be mentioned alongside Michael Jordan as the GOAT, but others discredit his accomplishments.

The LA Lakers superstar was likable and did not have a lot of detractors when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010. Some critics wanted him to perform better in the clutch and the playoffs, but all superstars get called out when they don't perform well in the most important part of the season.

Things really began to sour when James arguably became the most hated player in the NBA after joining the Miami Heat. People even celebrated when they lost the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, and some tried to belittle their 2012 ring because it happened in a lockout season.

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When LeBron James didn't tolerate disrespect from anyone

There are other reasons why fans and players don't like LeBron James. His flopping has been used over and over against him, while his political voice has always been polarizing.

Nevertheless, there are times when "The King" did not tolerate the disrespect, especially among his peers. On that note, here are five times when James responded to any form of disrespect that was thrown at him:

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#5 Cam Payne

Payne was feeling confident against the LA Lakers on Oct. 22, 2021, when the Phoenix Suns were up big and winning at Crypto.com Arena.

Payne talked some trash to the Lakers, including LeBron James, who reminded him that he was out of the league a few years back.

"Stay humble man, stay humble," James said. "C'mon now, you can use that humble. You was at home a year and half ago and now you wanna pop off? Don't do that. Why you wanna pop off?"

Payne was traded by the Suns to the San Antonio Spurs this offseason. The Spurs waived him before the Milwaukee Bucks came calling and signed him to a one-year deal.

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#4 Aaron Gordon

Aaron Gordon tried to get under the skin of LeBron James in a game earlier this year when the Denver Nuggets visited the LA Lakers. James put Gordon in his place by telling him that being physical won't work against him.

"That sh*t might work on every other forward in the NBA, but not me," James said. "You ain't the only n**** that lifts weights. You ain't the only n**** that's strong."

Things got more heated when the two teams met in the Western Conference finals. James and Gordon got into a shoving and grabbing match in the second quarter of Game 4, receiving technical fouls.

However, Gordon haad the last laugh, as the Nuggets swept the Lakers on their way to winning their first NBA championship.

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#3 Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley has always spoken about what's on his mind for better or for worse. Barkley lost his friendship with Michael Jordan for giving his opinion on his ownership of the Charlotte Hornets.

It was inevitable that he went at LeBron James in 2017, calling the then-Cleveland Cavaliers superstar whiny. Here was James' response, which was a little personal:

"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that. I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas.

"I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying."

All is good now between James and Barkley. They even joke about things whenever "The King" is a guest on the TNT broadcast, while Barkley has shown admiration for James' NBA career.

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#2 Ime Udoka

The most recent one on the list, Ime Udoka got himself ejected for talking trash with LeBron James on Saturday.

Udoka was not happy with how the LA Lakers were reacting to the physicality, so he called them out on the court. James did not appreciate what the Houston Rockets coach said.

They had a back-and-forth, with James likely knowing Udoka already had one technical foul. Udoka said one of the magic words in front of the referee, who tossed him out of the game.

Here's the video of the incident with a leaked audio:

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#1 Desmond Bane and the rest of the Memphis Grizzlies

LeBron James had enough of the brash Memphis Grizzlies in their final regular-season matchup during the 2021-22 NBA season.

James put Desmond Bane and the rest of the young Grizzlies on blast for trying to disrespect him on the court.

"This y'alls last time disrespecting me,"James said. "I'm not chillin'. You ain't hooping, you're talking sh*t. This the last motherf*cking time Imma say it. You start making a couple shots, then you start talking sh*t. F*ck that. I don't play that sh*t."

The Grizzlies won that game on Jan. 9, 2022, but James and the Lakers got the last laugh last season in the Western Conference semifinals.

James led the Lakers to eliminate the Grizzlies in six games, sending them packing with a 125-85 loss in Game 6.

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