ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news first: LeBron James is signing a two-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia, beating out the Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors, and Timberwolves. Not everyone's thrilled, least of all Charles Barkley.

Barkley appeared as a guest speaker on the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, criticizing James for stacking his team at all times. James will play alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown.

"The number one knock on LeBron for older guys like myself has always been, 'Yo, man, you always stacking your team,'" he said. "He stacked it in Miami. He stacked it in Cleveland. He's stacked it in LA. Now he's stacking it in Philly. I'm going to still have the same criticism I've always had. He's always stacked this team."

James has always been surrounded by great players throughout his career, as pointed out by Barkley on The Stephen A. Smith Show. He played with star Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, winning the 2016 NBA title.

He also played alongside stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat, with their nickname being the Big Three, winning back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013.

James then went to the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the 2020 title with stars Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard.

Coming from a year where he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds as a 41-year-old player, his statistics will definitely explain the reason behind Philadelphia's decision to sign him now.

But while Barkley isn't buying the narrative, James has laid out his own case for the move, and according to him, it has nothing to do with stacking talent.

What LeBron James Said About His Decision

James didn’t keep his reasons behind this move from his fans. He made it clear in a series of posts that he made on X, describing his move to the Philadelphia 76ers at age 41 as another shot at winning a championship rather than another money-making opportunity.

"I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at winning," He wrote on X.

Turning to address his new team directly, he added, "I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team."

The money backs him up. James signed for just $8 million over two years, a steep drop from the $50 million-plus he pulled in with the Lakers last season, all to join a franchise still chasing its first title in 43 years.

At 41, he's still delivering 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game last season, the kind of production that explains why Philadelphia went after him this late in his career.

Is LeBron writing a new chapter, or just confirming what critics have said all along? Comment.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Utsav Gupta