It’s safe to say that NBA analyst Skip Bayless is one of the most aggressive critics of LeBron James. Throughout the years, Bayless has been vocal about making claims against The King, some of which could be described as outrageous at best. Let’s take a look at Skip Bayless’ 10 craziest LeBron takes.
10. Stat-padding accusation
It’s true that the Los Angeles Lakers were trashed by the New Orleans Pelicans, 123-95. However, framing James for stat-padding is ridiculous at best.
Among the players in the Purple and Gold, it was clear that only James decided to play by dropping 32 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 13-of-23 shooting. Not a single player from the rest of the team came close with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony scoring 16 and 13, respectively, both of which didn’t even have good shooting nights.
9. Superstar expectations on a player in his late-30s
Fresh from winning an NBA championship, it was impressive that James and the Lakers managed to conquer the NBA Bubble. However, it’s worth noting that both the Lakers and Miami Heat faced limited rest in the following season to stick to the NBA schedule.
With constrained time and practice affecting the team, the Lakers failed in their title defense bid after losing to the Phoenix Suns in six games in the first round. After their elimination, Bayless even used an opportunity to diss The King.
8. Lousy free-throw shooter
There are moments when James has missed a couple of clutch free throws. However, calling him an atrocious free-throw shooter is a bit of a stretch. In fact, there are also times when James successfully cashed in while being on the charity stripe during the late moments of the game.
Furthermore, James isn’t a terrible free-throw shooter. Throughout his career, James shot nearly 74 percent from the free-throw line.
7. Worst 3-point shooter
There’s no doubt that even great players like James can face shooting slumps. But to call him the worst 3-point shooter for it is out of this world.
In his decorated NBA career, James has shot a respectable 35 percent from beyond the arc. Although James has also missed a handful of threes in his career, it must’ve been hard for Bayless to understand given that he was never qualified to play a single NBA game in his life.
6. Media manipulator
After the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets at the 2023 Western Conference Finals, James contemplated retirement. For someone who is pushing 40, it’s pretty much allowed for someone to do so.
In fact, it was already an incredible feat for James to lead the Lakers to a deep playoff run at his age. Unfortunately, haters like Bayless would use it against James by calling him a “master media manipulator.”
5. All-time pathetic
Bayless continued on with his hating ways during the 2023 playoffs. When James struggled with his shooting, the polarizing analyst used the situation to label James as an “all-time pathetic.” With his statements, it seemed like Bayless has the abilities to perform better under the bright lights of the postseason.
4. Cake-walk to the inaugural NBA Cup
While Bayless has been a strong critic to James, he’s also a big-time invalidator. When the Lakers were on the cusp of winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, Bayless dubbed their feat as a “cake-walk” with their Finals matchup against the Indiana Pacers.
Although the Lakers won 123-109, the Pacers are still a legitimate Eastern Conference contender thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s All-Star emergence.
3. Lacking the clutch factor
While critics like Bayless often hate on James for missing clutch shots or passing them up, however, the statistics say otherwise. In fact, as of 2023, James is ranked second in terms of having the most clutch points with at least 2,439 points, as per reports. In addition to this, James has also made the most game-winning buzzer-beating baskets in the playoffs with five.
2. Associating cramps with mental toughness
In the 2014 NBA Finals, the Big Three era came to an end at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. But during the series, James ultimately suffered dehydration and a series of cramps due to the malfunctioning of the air-conditioning system at the AT&T arena.
In the eyes of Bayless, apparently being unable to deal with cramps is a lack of mental toughness on James’ part, as per reports. Any medical professional would know that cramps are painful. Bayless’ statement sure does sound rich coming from someone who doesn’t play basketball for his day job.
1. Not a Top 5 player
James has accomplished several accolades in his NBA career, including four NBA championships, four NBA Finals MVPs, one NBA Cup championship, one NBA Cup MVP, two NBA MVPs, and 20 All-Star Game appearances.
Furthermore, he also is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. It’s safe to say that majority of the players that will play in the NBA will never reach that status. While his GOAT status can still be up for debate, leaving James out of the top five is ultimately mind-boggling.
