In an appearance on NBATV Sunday, Barkley predicted that Doncic and LeBron James might struggle to coexist on the Lakers, at least initially. Barkley pointed to the fact that Doncic and James are both ball-dominant players as a potential issue, and predicted “growing 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 does not move without the ball. LeBron does not move without the ball. There’s going to be some serious growing pains when those two try to play together. Now, they’re both great players, don’t get me wrong, but LeBron wants the ball, and Luka definitely wants the ball. It’s going to be very interesting how that works out.” -via Larry Brown Sports / February 2, 2025