Charles Barkley wants LeBron James to go back to Cleveland

Ever since LeBron James left Cleveland for the warm weather of South Beach, there have been rumors and reports and people holding out hope that one day he would come back to the Cavaliers. And with LeBron’s free agency looming, those rumors will continue until the day he signs his next contract.

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As the people of Cleveland dream and pray about the Akron Hammer one day returning, they have support in their corner from none other than Charles Barkley. The TNT studio host has never been afraid to speak his mind, and when asked about LeBron and Cleveland, Barkley expressed hope that LeBron would indeed return.

Yesterday he was on ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo, and he had this to say:

"“I’ve always thought he was going to go back to Cleveland,” Barkley said. “Nobody dislikes LeBron. I think LeBron made a huge mistake with that ‘Decision’ crap. He’s come back and since admitted that. That’s the only thing people hold against LeBron.“He’s a great player, a great person. I hope he goes back to Cleveland. Those fans in Miami are not real fans, those fans in Cleveland are real fans. I’ve always hoped he would go back to Cleveland. That would be a great way to finish his career.”"

Now that the Cavaliers have won the first pick for the second year in a row, the rumors of a LeBron return are only going to grow stronger. The knock on the LeBron back to Cleveland idea was that the Cavs roster simply wasn’t good enough to entice him, but with the possibility of Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggings/Jabari Parker/Joel Embiid already being there, that may get the King thinking about coming back home.

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