Fans missing LeBron James so far this season will have to wait longer for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar to play his first game of the NBA year. James is not expected to return to the court until mid-November, giving fans at least a couple more weeks without him. Lakers fans have, however, enjoyed the stellar play of both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in his absence.
NBA legend and broadcaster Charles Barkley had some humorous comments on The Dan Patrick Show, aiming at James’ age and downplaying the seriousness of his injury:
“He’s just old. Everybody gets old. Yeah, he says sciatica? You know what that means? His back hurts. All old people’s backs hurt, Dan. All old people’s backs hurt. You can dress it up like sciatica. You can come up with all these medical terms. LeBron is old,” Barkley said while describing James’ injury situation.
At 40 years old, James is currently the oldest player in the NBA but still played at an All-NBA level last season. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dirk Nowitzki have made the All-Star Game at age 40 or older. However, both were selected as honorary nods to their careers ending, while James earned his spot with legitimate All-Star numbers.
### Barkley Believes LeBron’s Age Causes Injury
The Lakers expected LeBron to suit up once preseason started, but his battle with sciatica caused him to sit out. James was ruled out for the first few weeks of the season, and that absence is now approaching a full month on the injury list.
Barkley often makes his points through humor, but he was serious about his thoughts on LeBron. The retired legend believes James’ various body pains stem from his age and are the reason he’s delaying the start of his season.
LeBron is certainly doing something unheard of by spending more than 22 years in the league and never once falling below the level of a top 15 to 20 player overall. No NBA player at James’ age has ever performed anywhere near his level. Names like Abdul-Jabbar, Nowitzki, and Kevin Garnett became role players with limited minutes near the end of their careers.
LeBron, meanwhile, is expected to play at an All-Star level and still contribute well over 30 minutes per game once he returns.
### Can LeBron Prove Barkley Wrong?
Part of Barkley’s bigger point is that James will have to deal with these challenges for the rest of his career. Most of LeBron’s opponents are about 10 years younger than him, and many were not even born when the legend was drafted into the league back in 2003.
James will have to continue defeating Father Time, but Barkley believes age is starting to catch up with him.
Lakers fans still have hopes of contending for an NBA championship, especially with the team’s hot start, but LeBron is needed in a major way this season. If the icon misses more games and continues battling injuries, Barkley will prove himself right that Father Time is undefeated.
James’ only path to proving Barkley wrong is by having another great season and showing that he can still play at the highest level for most of the long campaign.
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/charles-barkley-lebron-james-exaggerating-injury/