By Lauren Dougherty ’19, Staff Writer

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers “need a playmaker.” Despite being defending NBA champions, leading the Eastern Conference, and having a starting lineup that includes All-Stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, LeBron James doesn’t think it’s enough. While the Golden State Warriors have made new additions to their roster since last year, namely Kevin Durant, the Cavs’ roster has remained mostly the same. Through his comment expressing the need for playmakers and the team being too “top-heavy,” LeBron essentially criticized the organization for not making enough improvements to the roster and ultimately not wanting to win another title. On one level, the feud began with LeBron and the Cavaliers management.

Then add in Charles Barkley, who immediately called out LeBron, saying, “He’s the best player in the world. Does he want all the good players? He don’t want to compete?” LeBron James responded, calling Barkley a “hater” and questioning his credibility. LeBron’s comments seemingly come from years of pent-up frustration against Barkley, who has continuously discredited him on and off the court. Barkley and past generations of players have criticized LeBron for his actions, such as “The Decision”—leaving his hometown team to join the likes of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami—and for a lack of seriousness by being too friendly with fellow players like Wade and Carmelo Anthony. These past criticisms closely align with Barkley’s most recent comments questioning LeBron’s competitiveness. There are clearly generational differences when it comes to LeBron and Barkley’s clashing perspectives. Barkley comes from a different era, one where each superstar had his own team—Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA has changed and LeBron is focused on winning another championship in a league where rival teams like the star-studded Warriors are dominating.

Both Charles Barkley and LeBron James bring up valid points. Barkley did not question LeBron’s greatness, but rather is hitting at an important topic that reverberates throughout the league about NBA “super teams” and the lack of true competitive spirit, even calling out players like Wade and Draymond Green, labeling them “AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] babies.” On the other hand, LeBron understands the league he is playing in and is trying to do his best to win another title. This altercation also brings up how NBA stars respond to criticism, as LeBron responded with a series of profane comments personally attacking Barkley. Rahul Bendre ’19, an avid Boston Celtics fan, said, “I believe Charles Barkley was totally within his rights as an NBA commentator and analyst to call out LeBron.” This comment is representative of a lot of opinions—whether you agreed with Barkley or not, he has a right to voice his opinion.

The Charles Barkley-LeBron James feud brings the idea of competitiveness to the forefront. Barkley emphasized competition is often doing the best with what you already have and overcoming challenges to be great. At Newark Academy, if we constantly blamed our sports teams’ losses on our smaller school size, the competitive spirit would be lost. Instead of blaming external causes, it is better to focus on doing the best with what you’ve got and working to improve.