Long before the heated feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley and Jim Rome nearly came to blows. Recently, Barkley appeared on The Jim Rome Show to discuss his Auburn Tigers and preview the upcoming NCAA men’s Final Four. As the interview wrapped up, Rome inquired about the James-Smith confrontation, prompting Barkley to reiterate his previous statement to Dan Patrick that ‘everyone lost’ for having to endure this feud.
Jim Rome remarked that the situation between LeBron and Smith reminded him of his own tumultuous past with Barkley. “If you can’t appreciate the guys who came before you, there’s something wrong with you,” Rome tweeted, highlighting Barkley’s insight into the modern NBA media landscape.
“If you can’t appreciate the guys who came before you, there’s something wrong with you.”
There’s no one better to talk about the modern NBA media landscape than my dude Chuck. pic.twitter.com/HbiV0ypCU2
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) April 1, 2025
Rome recounted a time from 25 years ago when he and Barkley had a public feud after Barkley criticized him, stating, “Jim Rome is all that is wrong with sports media right now.” This led to a memorable incident in a Las Vegas restaurant, where, despite the tension, Barkley chose not to escalate the confrontation. Rome humorously recalled, “You could have knocked me out that night,” as Barkley visibly reacted to him. However, within minutes, their animosity transformed into camaraderie as Barkley decided it wasn’t worth it, exclaiming, “You know what Rome, you’re good with D-Mac, you’re good with me. Cristal! All around.”
Their transition from adversaries to friends serves as a hopeful example for LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith. According to Barkley, he refrained from physical confrontation because Rome’s wife was present, while Rome believes it was Barkley’s good character that held him back. “He didn’t knock me out because he’s the best guy. He just got over it, like in two minutes,” Rome noted. “It’s not worth it. You have a job to do, I have a job to do, we’re in Vegas. Screw it, Cristal All around! And… even after I had been burying Chuck on the radio every day, he would still address the media about me, saying, ‘It’s guys like that that represent everything that’s wrong with the media.’ He clearly could have broken my face that night, but he’s a good guy. He’s the best guy.”
Decades later, LeBron James chose not to physically retaliate against Stephen A. Smith, possibly because he too possesses that same good nature, or perhaps he was wary of Smith’s own willingness to fight back.
