LeBron James Hammers Charles Barkley

Maybe Vince McMahon should sign LeBron James and Charles Barkley for a match at WrestleMania this spring.

James, who has been criticized by NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley a number of times over his great career, fired back in a big way Monday night, calling Sir Charles a "hater", before going on to personally hammer Barkley.

The recent war of words began last week, when Barkley, in his role as an analyst on TNT's "Inside the NBA," chastised James for James saying that the Cleveland Cavaliers needed to improve it's current roster with another playmaker to have a realistic shot at a repeat title.

"Inappropriate. Whiny. All of the above," Barkley said of the four-time MVP during the segment. "The Cleveland Cavaliers, they have given him everything he wanted. They have the highest payroll in NBA history. He wanted J.R. Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted (Iman) Shumpert last summer. They brought in Kyle Korver. He's the best player in the world. Does he want all of the good players? He don't want to compete? He is an amazing player. They're the defending champs."

Initially, James didn't respond much to Barkley at first, saying that Barkley's comments were "good for ratings", while James defended his competitiveness.

Monday night however, following a 104-97 Cavs loss to the Dallas Mavericks, James refused to bite his tongue any longer, and called out Barkley.

"He's a hater," James told ESPN. "What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV?

"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that," James told ESPN. "I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.

"All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way," said James. "Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that.

"I know he wanted to retire a long time ago, but he can't," James said. "He's stuck up on that stage every week.

"And if this makes him want to talk to me, the schedule's out there," James said. "He knows every road arena I'll be in. Don't just come up to me at All-Star and shake my hand and smile.

"I collect one paycheck from this," James said of his role with the Cavs. "There's the owner, Griff's [David Griffin] the GM, I'm the player. Screw Charles Barkley.

"I'm tired of biting my tongue," James said. "There's a new sheriff in town."