Charles Barkley has been known to criticize LeBron James on multiple occasions.
This time, the Hall of Famer appeared on Arizona Sports 98.7 Tuesday, Oct. 20, to blame James for commuting via helicopter from his New York City residence to play his first season with Barkley's former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I think it's disrespectful, honestly, of him commuting," Barkley said. "That's just my personal opinion. Why would you do that?"
Charles Barkley previewed the NBA season on @Bickley_Marotta, saying he feels it is "disrespectful" that LeBron James is commuting from New York to Philadelphia as a member of the 76ers.
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 20, 2026
"As long as the Sixers are winning, nobody's gonna say anything about it. But as soon as the… pic.twitter.com/9jl6N47Qdy
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42-year-old James shocked the NBA this offseason when he left the Los Angeles Lakers after eight years to sign a two-year deal with the 76ers in free agency. He also turned heads for his planned usage of a Fanatics-branded helicopter to transport him from New York to Philadelphia to practice and play home games.
The helicopter is a perk from a partnership deal that James signed with the sports apparel and collectibles company in 2024. Fanatics is owned by 76ers owner Michael Rubin.
Barkley played the first eight seasons of his 16-year career in Philadelphia before the team traded him to the Phoenix Suns in 1992. He also spoke from experience about how fickle Philly sports fans would be if the 76ers aren't living up to the high expectations.
"If they start losing, man, those people in Philly, they gonna go crazy," Barkley said.
During this offseason, the 76ers created one of the most vaunted rosters that now has four All-Stars including James. In July, the 76ers completed a blockbuster trade that brought in the 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics.
James and Brown joined Tyrese Maxey and former MVP Joel Embiid. Brown and Maxey were among the league's top five players in scoring during the 2025-26 season.
The 76ers' season tips off at the defending champion New York Knicks on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. (MST) on NBC/Peacock.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Barkley slams LeBron James helicopter commute from NYC to Philly 76ers
