Charles Barkley Sends Warning to LeBron James, Lakers for Playoffs

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were underdogs heading into their first-round playoff series against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. Still, they quickly emerged as favorites after taking control of the series.

That was extremely significant, given that Los Angeles was without two of its key starters: Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Both players suffered season-ending injuries, although Reaves is expected to return much sooner than Doncic.

Heading into Wednesday night’s home game, they held a 3-1 series lead with a chance to put away the Rockets. Helping their cause is Durant’s absence, who is out again due to his nagging injuries.

With that in mind, it seems that LeBron and company are on the verge of advancing. However, Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley issued a warning for King James and the Lakers ahead of their crucial NBA Playoffs game.

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During ESPN’s “Inside the NBA,” Barkley sounded off about the Rockets seeming to become more comfortable without Durant in the lineup. He shared that Game 6 is a “must-win” for the Lakers because LeBron’s recent performances seem to be declining.

“LeBron didn’t play great in Game 3. The Rockets choked that away,” Barkley explained. “This is a must-win for the Lakers, because if they don’t win tonight, there’s gonna be a Game 7 back in Los Angeles.”

He said the Rockets have made necessary adjustments without KD, and suggested that if the Lakers don’t win on Wednesday night, they won’t win Game 6.

“LeBron, as great as he is, his numbers are starting to go down, which tells me he’s starting to get tired because he has to do so much,” Barkley shared.

He said that King James is likely to “put all his eggs in this basket tonight” since this is his chance to advance to the next round.

He could have help, with his teammate, Austin Reaves, a game-time decision after not appearing in any games this series. That would be massive and potentially take some of the pressure off James.

Winning this game would also be significant, as the Oklahoma City Thunder await them in the next round after a 4-0 sweep of the Phoenix Suns.

The longer the Lakers play the Rockets, the more minutes LeBron plays, and he could get even more worn down. LeBron scored only 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting in the team’s Game 4 loss at Houston. Previously, he’d scored 19, 28, and 29 points in the team’s first three wins.

It’s been a necessity for LeBron to do that much because the Lakers’ scoring power is lacking with Doncic and Reaves missing from the lineup. He’s defied expectations once again by putting a team on his back at age 41 to lead them through a playoff series.

That said, not many people are expecting the man known for doing unbelievable things on the basketball court to lead the Lakers past the defending champs, but at least it will give fans more time to marvel at King James in the postseason.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 6:54 PM.