NBA Legend Charles Barkley Criticizes Finals MVP For Not Having Killer Instinct

Charles Barkley has never been afraid to share his opinion. As a hall-of-fame NBA player and potentially a hall-of-fame broadcaster, people respect what he has to say, despite how ridiculous it sometimes is.

Barkley, along with many other players in his era, has widely been criticized for sharing their negative opinions on today’s players and the current play of the NBA as a whole. Barkley has never been one of the worst critics, but he also has had his moments. 

Recently on The Ringer’s Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley was asked about the best players he’s ever seen and compared them to some of today’s stars. 

“The three best players I’ve ever seen are Michael [Jordan], Kobe [Bryant], and LeBron [James], and I’ll tell you the difference between the three. Michael and Kobe were dangerous. They will kill your a–. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different. The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great, great player. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you.”

This comment can be taken in two ways. One, he is criticizing arguably the best player in the league for not having a killer instinct. This is bold, especially after SGA just won the MVP and Finals MVP with some insane numbers. 

On the other hand, he is also comparing him to LeBron James. This is arguably the greatest player of all time, and, admittedly, in Charles Barkley’s opinion, a top-3 player he has ever seen. Being compared to LeBron at all is high praise. 

So does it even matter if SGA has the killer instinct? If he can keep winning championships and MVPs, it will shut up all the haters.