“I was disappointed, he took the shine away from Nuggets” – Charles Barkley on LeBron James bringing up his retirement

Charles Barkley wasn't too happy with the way LeBron James went about teasing his retirement following the Denver Nuggets' Western Conference finals win. Shortly after the game, when James sat down to talk with media members, he said that he wasn't sure whether he'd return next year.

The comments took the NBA community by storm, with many questioning whether James would actually retire on such short notice. Given the gravity of his comments, they became the leading story in the NBA community, with the Denver Nuggets' win taking a backseat in headlines.

Now, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has weighed in on the situation, expressing his disappointment in James for stealing the spotlight from the Nuggets.

"First of all, LeBron is not going to retire. No," Barkley said on "The Dan Patrick Show." "I was disappointed he brought that up in the Nuggets' highlight of their organization. They'd never been to the finals. They just swept the big, bad Lakers. Nobody's giving them any respect."

When asked whether he believed James strategically teased the news, Barkley emphatically said yes.

"You know, it's funny," Barkley said. "I actually turned my television off the next day because the first two blocks were all about LeBron instead of what the Denver Nuggets has accomplished. I mean, you think about it.

"They got a dude on their team who arguably could have won three MVPs in a row, had just swept the big bad Lakers, and they spend the first two blocks talking about is LeBron going to retire. Yeah, I think he did it intentionally. There's no way he's retiring. LeBron is such a good dude, and he got his stuff together.

"I was disappointed he took the shine away from the Nuggets."

Looking at Charles Barkley's prediction regarding LeBron James' retirement

As Charles Barkley predicted, LeBron James won't be retiring after the disappointing loss to the Nuggets. With one more year left on his contract, James has spoken at length about the idea of sharing the court with one, if not both, of his sons.

Many have wondered if he could wind up taking a pay cut after completing his extension with the Lakers to join whatever team Bronny gets drafted to. Despite that, James has clarified that he would be content with competing against his son.

(Suggested Reading: Jamal Murray lists his top 5 players of all time)

In addition, reports have surfaced in the week following James teasing his retirement indicating that he will likely return to complete his extension.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, sources close to James believe that he will undergo surgery on his foot in the offseason before returning for Year 21. Given the fact that James doesn't seem to be retiring, some believe Charles Barkley's frustration is warranted.