Charles Barkley Snubs LeBron & Steph Curry In Top Ten Rankings

Getty

Charles Barkley, TNT

NBA legend Charles Barkley upset fans of LeBron James and Stephen Curry with his all-time top ten rankings. Barkley had an incredible NBA career, but he’s more popular today for his longer broadcasting career over the past three decades. TNT and now ESPN benefits from Barkley’s strong entertainment value, but he does have some strong traditional NBA takes.

An interview with the Howard Eskin Show saw Barkley listing his top ten to provide some controversial rankings:

“Michael (Jordan), Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), and Wilt (Chamberlain). Those are my top five. Bill Russell, Wilt, and Kareem, no particular order, but those are my five.

I’ve got six as Kobe Bryant. Seven is LeBron (James). Then I’ve got Magic (Johnson), (Larry) Bird, Jerry West, and probably Tim Duncan. That’s my top ten. But this is all personal opinion. I’m never putting anybody ahead of those first five. As much as I love LeBron as a player, I don’t think he’s better than Kobe Bryant.”

Barkley shocked many NBA fans by snubbing from LeBron from the top six, despite most listing James as a top two player behind Jordan. Golden State Warriors fans were not happy that Curry was not even considered by Barkley.

Why Barkley Never Ranks LeBron Top Five

Previous lists from Barkley have held the same consistency of LeBron never making his top five. Barkley often says controversial things, but this comes off as a genuine opinion from his perspective of basketball.

History shows Barkley going out of his way to offer respect to the names that came before him. Legends like Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell get extra respect from Barkley since they laid the foundation for him to make a living. Barkley has talked in depth about owing those legends of the past for his contracts changing his family’s life forever.

Today’s stars also have a higher bar to reach from Barkley since he doesn’t enjoy all of the changes made to the game. Kevin Durant and Curry didn’t even get mentioned since Barkley ranks the stars of every prior era above them.

Barkley Didn’t Let Bias Impact Jordan’s Ranking

Claims of Barkley being personally biased about James due to their past drama are not true. Barkley had a falling out with Michael Jordan to end their long-time close friendship, but he still lists the iconic Chicago Bulls superstar as number one.

Jordan disliked Barkley’s criticism towards his front office decisions when helping run the Washington Wizards. Barkley gave honest opinions for his broadcasting rules, and it led to his former best friend cursing him out before ending the friendship. The bitter ending caused them to go years without speaking to each other.

Personal bias would see Jordan slotted a few spots down, but Barkley honestly viewed Jordan as the best player ever. Nothing James could have accomplished would be enough to move him ahead of the names Barkley ranked higher. Curry being deep outside of the top ten shows that Barkley didn’t value his style of outside shooting for a strict list.

Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford