Richard Jefferson Calls Out Charles Barkley’s Hypocrisy Over LeBron James And The Second Apron

Charles Barkley has never been shy about sharing his unfiltered opinions, but this time his comments landed him in the crosshairs of Richard Jefferson. Barkley recently went on the Bill Simmons Podcast and declared that the NBA’s second apron rule exists because of players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who he believes created an era of superteams that forced commissioner Adam Silver to act. 

That argument didn’t sit well with Jefferson, who immediately clapped back on his Road Trippin’ podcast. He called Barkley’s criticism of LeBron hypocritical, citing Barkley’s own history of teaming up with stars in pursuit of a title. “

"I remember Charles Barkley got drafted to a team with Moses Malone, maybe Dr. J and Maurice Cheeks. Then I remember Charles Barkley going to Houston and then he teamed up with Hakeem Olajuwon and then Scottie Pippen was also there. That sounds like teaming up if I'm wrong."

"Hey, let's go to Shaq and Kobe. Does everybody remember when they recruited Gary Payton, who was still in his prime, and then they recruited Karl Malone? Do we remember that? The second all-time leading scorer to play power forward next to Shaq in his prime after they had won three out of the last four championships"

"So when we look at teaming up, he did it. He joined Olajuwon and then Scottie Pippen came in. And now we're talking about the second acre and exists. Did we forget our history? His own history, and I love Charles. Charles is my icon, my idol, my big bro"

"There's not a person in this industry that I don't love, that I f***ing f**k with more. But Charles, let's be honest. You literally joined a team with Hakeem Olajuwon because he had won two championships."

"Sounds like, wow, that sounds like maybe LeBron going and joining D-Wade. And then you brought in Scottie Pippen. Man, that sounds like Chris Bosh joining." 

The Rockets’ failed experiment in the late 1990s is a prime example. Barkley joined Houston in 1996 after Hakeem Olajuwon had won back-to-back titles, and Scottie Pippen arrived soon after. While that team never delivered a championship, the intent was clear: stack Hall of Famers and chase a ring. 

Jefferson likened it to LeBron’s famous move to Miami, noting the parallels between Barkley trying to join Olajuwon and Pippen and LeBron linking with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Jefferson wasn’t alone in calling Barkley out. Kendrick Perkins also weighed in, reminding everyone that before LeBron’s Miami move, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen had already joined forces in Boston. 

The irony of Barkley’s comments is even sharper when looking at the history of the league. Superteams have existed for decades, from the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Celtics’ Big Three in 2008. What changed with LeBron was how deliberate and player-driven the process became. 

The “Heatles” were the first superteam formed by players taking control of their futures, and that influence reshaped how teams approached roster building.

The second apron, introduced in the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement, is designed to punish teams that exceed $207.8 million in payroll. It restricts roster flexibility, draft pick trades, and free agent signings. While Barkley insists that it exists because players like LeBron and Durant pushed the league too far, Jefferson believes blaming one or two players oversimplifies history.

In truth, the second apron is the league’s response to escalating salaries, richer owners, and a desire to maintain balance. While LeBron’s move to Miami and Durant’s move to Golden State certainly accelerated the trend, they were hardly the first examples of stars stacking the deck. As Jefferson made clear, Barkley himself once played that same game.

The back-and-forth highlights the generational divide in how players view competition. Barkley, who often rails against today’s stars, prefers the mythology of his own era. Jefferson, who both played against and alongside LeBron, sees history repeating itself and refuses to let Barkley gloss over his role in it.

In the end, Jefferson’s message was simple: before Barkley points fingers at LeBron James, he should take a hard look at his own career. Superteams didn’t begin in 2010, and the second apron isn’t some punishment designed for one player. It’s the NBA trying to catch up to a reality that’s been around for decades.