In an look on NBATV Sunday, Barkley predicted that Doncic and LeBron James may battle to coexist on the Lakers, a minimum of initially. Barkley pointed to the truth that Doncic and James are each ball-dominant gamers as a possible situation, and predicted “rising pains” for the Lakers’ new duo. “This thing is not going to be smooth in L.A. with (Doncic) and LeBron, because both of them want the ball 100 percent of the time,” Barkley said. “Luka doesn’t transfer with out the ball. LeBron doesn’t transfer with out the ball. There’s going to be some critical rising pains when these two attempt to play collectively. Now, they’re each nice gamers, don’t get me flawed, however LeBron needs the ball, and Luka undoubtedly needs the ball. It’s going to be very fascinating how that works out.” -via Larry Brown Sports / February 2, 2025
