Charles Barkley Comments on Disagreement with LeBron James

Days after Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James fired back at him for critical comments, TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley responded to the three-time NBA champion Thursday night. 

As seen in the following video, courtesy of NBA on TNT, Sir Charles said he didn't take issue with LeBron's response and insisted he wouldn't attack James personally:

The Basketball Hall of Famer also further defended the comments he made in reference to LeBron:

Barkley's original criticism of James related to LeBron's call for the Cavaliers to acquire more assets for a championship run.

With the Cavs in the midst of a difficult stretch, LeBron stressed the importance of adding a playmaker and not getting complacent after winning a title last season, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.

That resulted in Barkley calling James "inappropriate" and "whiny" on TNT's Inside the NBA (h/t Marcus Kwesi O'Mard of NESN.com):

"

Inappropriate. Whiny. All of the above. The (Cavaliers), they have given him everything he wanted. They have the highest payroll in NBA history. He wanted J.R. Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted (Iman) Shumpert last summer. They brought in Kyle Korver. ... He's the best player in the world. Does he want all of the good players? He don't wanna compete? He is an amazing player. They're the defending champs.

"

James responded angrily Monday and labeled Barkley a "hater," according to McMenamin:

"

I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that. I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.

All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that.

"

The Cavs are a disappointing 5-7 over their past 12 games, but they remain atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-15.

Cleveland is still a heavy favorite to return to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year due to the presence of James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, regardless of whether any additional moves are made.