LeBron James Has to Pass the Baton to Luka Doncic, Says Charles Barkley
LeBron James was the main guy in high school, the first pick of the 2003 Draft, and the top option on all three NBA teams he has represented. But at 40 years old, it may be time for him to start thinking about the future and gradually step aside to give the spotlight to someone else. With Luka Doncic’s arrival at the Los Angeles Lakers, James is now shifting into a second-option role, and that is uncharted territory for him.
Charles Barkley spoke about James’ current situation in the latest episode of Bill Simmons’ podcast. The Round Mound of Rebounds, like the host, has never gotten along too well with James, even though they both acknowledge his greatness. Still, managing to put bias aside, they discussed what’s next for the four-time NBA champ.
Simmons noted that James finds himself in a ‘weird situation’ heading into the 2025/26 season, with the Lakers clearly positioning Doncic as the new face of the franchise. It’s a sentiment echoed by many in recent weeks, which may be why Barkley, never one to mince words, bluntly suggested that The King hand over the keys to his kingdom.
“It’s time to move on, brother!” Barkley said, before noting that a changing of the guard has always been part of the story in historic franchises.
“Kareem. Hey, Bill. See, this is the problem. Kareem did it with Magic. Tim Duncan did it with Tony Parker, Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. You have to, Bill!” he said with passion. “The baton has to be passed from everybody. It’s passed from everybody. The Lakers have been irrelevant! The Bubble was the last time they’ve been relevant!”
Of course, Doncic’s arrival made the Lakers stronger than they were before the trade, but it still wasn’t enough to get them past the Minnesota Timberwolves, who defeated them in just five games. Barkley argued that despite the star power, the Lakers remain a tier below the best teams in the West — Oklahoma City, Denver, and Houston.
The 76ers legend added that other Hall of Famers have been helped late in their career by younger superstars, and brought up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan specifically. “It should make it easier. Magic and James Worthy were probably responsible for the last two championships,” he went on.
“And for Tim Duncan, who’s the greatest power forward ever, I think Parker, Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard were responsible for the last two championships,” Chuck argued. “He still gets the championship ring! If the Lakers win the championship, and Luka gets Finals MVP, LeBron still gets the championship ring!”
Both Barkley and Simmons make valid points, but from James’ perspective, any championship without a Finals MVP would almost certainly be used against him in the GOAT debate. Jordan went six-for-six on both championships and Finals MVPs. Kobe Bryant, despite being universally beloved, still has his lack of Finals MVPs brought up, as does Steph Curry.
Right now, nobody knows exactly what James is thinking, but it’s clear he understands what it will take to win another ring. If he chooses to play second fiddle to Luka, it could benefit both him and the Lakers, and #5 might still be within reach if everything falls into place.
Lakers Former Champ Reveals Biggest ‘What-If’ Trade Of Kobe Era
The Los Angeles Lakers had immense success with the duo of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. They went to three straight NBA Finals, winning twice in 2009 and 2010. But even with that success, the Lakers were still looking for a way to improve.
Speaking with Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Gasol revealed his thoughts on a potential Carmelo Anthony trade that would have had a major impact on the team and league for the following decade.
“Obviously we had a great run, three straight years,” Gasol said. “(But) players with different skillsets add something…You can’t really think about who else you would have loved to play with, if (we) would have had Carmelo.”
Gasol also spoke about Anthony’s career as a whole, with the forward being named one of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees for 2025. Anthony played for the Nuggets, Knicks, Thunder, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and eventually closed out his career with the Lakers, finishing 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with three Olympic gold medals.
Gasol On A Potential Anthony To Lakers Move
In 2011, Anthony was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks, but according to him, a potential move to Los Angeles was originally in play. Speaking on Dwyane Wade’s podcast earlier this summer, Anthony said that it was a ‘done deal‘ that he was going to become a Laker.
“The deal was done with the Lakers. Me and Nenê for Lamar Odom and Bynum,” Anthony said. “That deal was done. I never thought about New York.”
Now, discussing Anthony’s Hall of Fame career, Gasol commented on the potential move when asked by McMenamin.
“I don’t know (how) exactly that possibility could have happened,” Gasol said. “But the coulda-shoulda-woulda’s are always interesting, because it’s all imagining of what could be in a different situation with certain people.”
During that 2010/11 season, Anthony was in the prime of his career. He was averaging 25 points on 45% shooting, but adding him to the Lakers’ lineup with Bryant as their main scorer would have been a big change to what Los Angeles was used to over the past decade.
Gasol also commented on the potential Chris Paul to the Lakers trade that never came to fruition. He said that regardless of whether either of these trades were ever finalized, the Lakers team led by him and Bryant would have looked a lot different compared to the one that was on the court.
Praise Of Anthony’s Hall Of Fame Career
Though an Anthony to Lakers trade never came to fruition, the former NCAA champion’s success in the NBA spoke for itself. Now one of the newest inductees into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Gasol discussed some of the aspects of Anthony’s game that make him deserving of the honor.
“Melo was just a very difficult guy to guard,” Gasol said. “I saw a player who was determined, who was hungry, who wanted to continue to not just establish himself but really position himself in a different category. He was always a very aggressive offensive player.”
Offensively, Anthony was one of the best players in the NBA through the first 15 years of the millennium, even with the immense talent in his generation. His isolation scoring was top-notch, he was always liable to drop 40 on any given night, and he was very consistent, mostly during his time in Denver and New York.
Gasol believes that, besides just his scoring, Anthony’s versatility was what separated him from other forwards, whether it was in the NBA or international play.
“(He) was kind of more of that stretch four, the guy who can play the three and four position…Really taking advantage of his physicality, his body, his strength,” Gasol added. “Not just a prolific scorer, but him and Kevin Durant have a unique ability with their size, with their skillset, with their mindset, of really changing the game.”
Anthony’s 28,289 total points are the 10th most in NBA history. He was previously the USA’s leading scorer in international play before Durant broke his record in 2024, but his three gold medals are tied for the second-most ever. Anthony is a six-time All-NBA and ten-time All-Star honoree, and won the 2003 college basketball national championship with Syracuse.
