Inside the NBA host and NBA great Charles Barkley spent the first eight years of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. Given the Sixers' unexpected surge late this season, folks in the City of Brotherly Love are thinking the squad could make a run at a title in the not-too-distant future.
Adding to their optimism: the Sixers are considered a contender to land LeBron James. A few teams have popped up as the most viable contenders, and though the Lakers seem to be the favorite, Philly is near the top of the list.
Barkley, however, says it won't happen.
"He's not coming to the Sixers," Barkley said on "The Mike Missanelli Show" on 97.5 The Fanatic Tuesday. "He's not coming to the Sixers because he needs the ball, [Ben] Simmons needs the ball, and [Joel] Embiid needs the ball. That would make Simmons useless."
It'd be hard to argue with the Hall of Famer's perspective—all three players are gifted on the offensive end, and it's difficult to imagine LeBron and Simmons co-existing. Barkley doesn't see King James being willing to take a backseat.
"He's not going to give the ball up at this stage of his career," Barkley added. "He's not a great shooter, so you can't play him off the ball. I guarantee you [defenders] would let him shoot threes all night. Guys would love him to shoot threes...It would hurt Embiid and Simmons going forward."
Barkley added that he has no plans to let LeBron "hijack my life" with his free agency this summer.
