While it’s understandable that staunch Michael Jordan loyalists, like Skip Bayless, may struggle to acknowledge LeBron James as the greatest player of all time, one is bound to hand the 20-time All-Star more respect considering the shockwaves he is causing in Year 21.
Despite James averaging 25.3 points per game, winning the In-Season Tournament MVP, and becoming the first-ever player to attain the 40,000-point mark, the 72-year-old analyst remained steadfast in his refusal to uplift King James’ rank in his all-time NBA players list, ranking him as low as 9th.
Bayless justifies his stance
In the most recent episode of his podcast, Bayless claimed that despite LeBron adding more to his already-stacked resume, longevity does not elevate a player’s value or status, ranking James only behind Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant.
“Before hitting 40,000 points, I had LeBron 9th in my all-time list. I still have LeBron 9th in my all-time list because playing longer does not make you better or more valuable. I’m sorry, LeBron James is not better than Larry Bird, whom I have at 8th… LeBron James is not better than Kobe Bryant at 7th… both Bird and Kobe were much better shooters and much-much better clutch closers than LeBron has been in these 21 years,” Bayless said. “LeBron James is not more valuable than the big men I have in my next four positions.”
Expanding on his assessment, Skip delved deeper into LeBron’s comparison with Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, explaining why he ranks them higher. He contended that the 39-year-old lacks Magic’s leadership and winning track record, placing Johnson second on his all-time list.
Lastly, while drawing parallels with MJ, Skip emphasized His Airness’ unparalleled dominance, evidenced by his 10 scoring titles and one DPOY award, honors that elude LeBron. Moreover, Bayless contrasted MJ’s six NBA Finals victories with James’ six Finals losses, further solidifying Jordan’s position atop his rankings.
NBA Fans react to Bayless’ viral take on James
If stats and accolades were the criteria, not only does LeBron have more accolades than Kobe and Bird, but he even averages a better scoring average (27.1) than the Lakers and Celtics legends, who have 25.0 and 24.3 scoring averages, respectively. On top of that, LeBron is doing it with better shooting efficiency from the field. That unsurprisingly led NBA Fans to cast doubts over Bayless’ assessment.
That being said, while assessing any player’s impact and dominance is subjective, placing LeBron outside the top five on any all-time list concerned with the NBA is a stance even staunch James haters would find difficult to support at this point.
