Who is right in the Charles Barkley vs LeBron James war?

As I’m sure this is well documented by now as last week LeBron James spoke candidly of his teams need of a “f***ing playmaker” if they want any shot at another title. Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst, Charles Barkley, shot back.

"Inappropriate. Whiny. All of the above," Barkley said on TNT last week. "The Cleveland 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 want to compete? He is an amazing player. They're the defending champs."

Barkley isn’t wrong. LeBron James has been gifted the second best team in the NBA and by far the best in his conference. James was just as much the MVP of the NBA Finals last year as he was the Executive of the Year for assembling that championship team and getting the coach he wanted in the first place with Ty Lue.

LeBron took exception with Barkley’s comments and didn’t hold back this time.

"He's a hater," James told ESPN. "What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV? (...) 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."

LeBron isn’t necessarily wrong either. He has been a model citizen and the perfect spokesman for the league his entire career. There’s been no domestic abuse cases, drug tickets, or even a serious injury to keep LeBron off the floor. But Barkley’s criticism wasn’t about LeBron the man but instead about LeBron the player.

When Barkley called LeBron whiny it struck a nerve with James because he is whiny. It’s a perception he’s been trying to drop for the longest time. It stems from watching LeBron get tick tack calls for years or get upset when he doesn’t. It stems from his comments last year about the true meaning of the “V” in MVP during his MVP race with Steph Curry. It stems from him proclaiming last year “it’s hard to take the high road” while being criticized.

When Barkley questioned LeBron’s willingness to compete is where he went wrong. I don’t doubt for one second that King James brings it night and night out when he steps on the court. After all, as a Warriors fan, I’ve witnessed this man run the length of the court to block a shot, in fact, it’s unfortunately the only play I’ll remember from Andre Iguodala’s respectable career. LeBron James is the ultimate competitor it’s why this whole week of bad press is even happening for the King.

It’s James competitiveness that has him peeved at the state of his team. He sees the team he worked so hard to defeat, the Golden State Warriors, just get significantly better in the off season and suddenly this year's biggest story became Durant and the Warriors, not LeBron and the defending champs.

LeBron wants to be appreciated which is why he deems Barkley a hater. James knows he’s the best player in the world but feels the need to make sure at all times the rest of the world does too.

James should realize you’re not great if people don’t openly question your greatness, after all we don’t call him King James for no reason.