LeBron James isn't even in the top 5 NBA players of all time, according to one-time MVP Charles Barkley

• LeBron James is only the seventh best NBA player of all time, according to former Most Valuable Player Charles Barkley.
• Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Barkley said he ranks Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kobe Bryant above James.
• "I love LeBron and everything about him, but I do think the way they play the game today, [James] didn't want any part of those 'Bad Boy' Pistons," Barkley said. "Those guys were out there trying to hurt people."
• The Detroit Pistons team in the late 1980s and early 1990s were renowned for their bruising style fo play, which also proved trouble for Michael Jordan early in his career.
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LeBron James is only the seventh best NBA player of all time.

That's according to Charles Barkley, who ranks Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kobe Bryant above the Los Angeles Lakers star.

Speaking in an interview with University of Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari on Tuesday, Barkley, who won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in 1993 said: "I love LeBron and everything about him, but I do think the way they play the game today, [James] didn't want any part of those 'Bad Boy' Pistons."

The Detroit Pistons team in the late 1980s and early 1990s, headed by Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas, were renowned for their physicality and aggression.

"Those guys were out there trying to hurt people. I used to always tell people that when you play the Pistons, you gotta call your family and tell them you love them just in case you never saw them again."

The 'Bad Boy' Pistons were featured on a recent episode of Michael Jordan's 10-part documentary "The Last Dance"

During episode four, the former Chicago Bulls star revealed how after losing to the Pistons in three straight playoff series, he decided to hit the gym in the summer of 1990 in an attempt to combat their bruising style of play.

"I was getting brutally beaten up," Jordan said, according to Sports Illustrated. "And I wanted to administer pain. I wanted to start fighting back."

The following year, Jordan won his first of six NBA titles with the Bulls, beating the Pistons in the playoff semifinals and the Lakers in the finals.

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