Charles Barkley stirred up social media once again, this time with a joke about LeBron James’ recent injury. During the Inside the NBA pre-show, the former player made a sarcastic remark about the Lakers star’s sciatic problems, noting that LeBron won’t return to the court until mid-November.
Barkley and his ESPN commentary team are set to cover the Lakers for the second time this season. However, they’ll be doing so without the team’s two main players, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The latter suffered finger and leg injuries and is expected to return in about a week. That leaves Austin Reaves carrying the full offensive load, trying to fill the gap left by both superstars.
Between mockery and truth
According to Firstsportz, Barkley posted on X: “First of all, LeBron doesn’t have sciatica. They just put old. With an extra D too.”
The former Suns legend has previously explained what a sciatic injury entails. But this time, he used the moment to take a jab at the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. For Barkley, those kinds of ailments come with age, not athletic wear and tear.
Charles Barkley said LeBron faking his injury 😭 pic.twitter.com/CsglEvVZb5
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) October 30, 2025
The Lakers are in a rough spot without LeBron or Doncic. Reaves has stepped up as the team’s offensive leader, though with mixed results. Barkley, however, showed little interest in analyzing the team while its stars remain sidelined, saying they’re “just drifting without direction” until their return.
Barkley also offered some advice for Deandre Ayton, seeing the situation as a big opportunity: “He’s the guy… With those guys out, he should say: ‘I’m going to get another 15–20 shots per game.’ He should be the second option,” Barkley said. He added that Ayton should use this moment to prove himself and secure his next contract with the Lakers. Standing out on the court, Barkley insisted, is all he needs to do.
