Barkley has 'no problem' with LeBron, believes criticism was 'fair'

A personal, retaliatory attack from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James didn't shake TNT analyst Charles Barkley in the slightest, nor it did force him to consider retracting his thoughts on the King's recent actions.

"I have no problem with what LeBron said," Barkley told ESPN 1000's Waddle and Silvy on Tuesday afternoon. "Some of it was true. I did pay my debt, that's not true. I was never late to the All-Star Game, so that's not true. but I don't overreact, I'm not gonna say anything personal, or anything like that. I stick by what I said. He was all whiny and everything last week."

Related - LeBron slams Barkley: 'He's a hater'

Barkley's comments during last week's edition of "Inside the NBA" are what provoked James to fire back, with the Round Mound of Rebound calling the four-time MVP out for wanting more talent on the Cavaliers when he believes the team is strong enough as constructed.

This comes days after James' assessment of Cleveland's roster, calling out the front office to add depth because the Cavaliers are too "top heavy."

Barkley took jabs at James from a basketball standpoint, while James took a different route by going after Barkley's controversial past.

"I'm not gonna get upset that someone said something bad about me. I'm not like 12 years old," Barkley added. "My initial criticism was fair, and I'm good with that.

"I think when you don't like the message you just kill the messenger. Some of the things he said about me were correct, that still does not make my message incorrect."

James went on to label Barkley a "hater," questioning why being a television personality should make him credible in anyone's eyes.

"Listen, any time you criticize any of these young guys, you’re a hater. C’mon man, you know that’s silly," said Barkley. "Any type of criticism of any player today, that’s the word they use: ‘hater.’ They never ask you is the criticism fair or not."

- With h/t to SB Nation