Charles Barkley shares his take on the NBA GOAT debate / News - Basketnews.com

Charles Barkley said that you cannot compare eras, and that all three - LeBron, MJ, and Kareem - were the greatest in their own respective generations.

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Ever since LeBron James became the face of the NBA, basketball fans all around the world started having conversations about who the greatest of all time (GOAT) was.

Michael Jordan

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With James recently passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and becoming the league's all-time leading scorer, the Inside the NBA on TNT crew weighed in on the debate.

While Shaquille O'Neal was more reserved with his answer, Charles Barkley explained his view in greater detail.

"Well, when you have no talent on television and radio, the fake GOAT argument is like those stupid idiots on the internet," Barkley began. "Kareem was the greatest in his generation, MJ was the greatest in his generation, and LeBron's been the greatest in his generation."

"You can't compare eras, it's impossible. LeBron is, and I've said this before, the greatest sports story ever. I don't want to leave Kobe [Bryant] out of this conversation either. As great as Kobe was, Kevin Garnett, those early high school players, LeBron was the only one who came in ready to play at 18 years old," the former NBA great explained.

Together with O'Neal and Kenny Smith, the crew emphasized LeBron's longevity and his ability to stay out of trouble for a prolonged time.

"To be good from Day 1 to 20 years later never [having] gotten in trouble in the social media era, it's one of the greatest sports stories ever," Barkley said. "I've got nothing but respect and admiration for that man."

In the end, Barkley repeated his initial point that all three players were the most dominant in their respective eras, and comparing them serves no point.

"Like I say - none of these people today have played against Kareem. They damn sure didn't play against MJ 'cause you don't want that smoke. The same thing with LeBron. It's just different eras, and they're all great," Barkley concluded.

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