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LeBron James has always been a frequent mention on NBA-related shows. Several analysts have always heard and seen debate about his activities on and off the court. Some are appreciative of his achievements, while others are a bit harsh with their assessment of everything James does.
Famous sports columnist and TV personality Skip Bayless is popular among the 'LeBron-haters' club because of his critical take on LeBron James. Bayless is well known for his work on the show 'First Take', which he left in 2016 and 'Skip and Shannon: Undisputed', which he has been hosting alongside Shannon Sharpe for the last five years.
Bayless has always had something to comment on or present about LeBron James, whether it's on the court or off the court.
From challenging James' status as a potential Hall-of-Famer to claiming that the LA Lakers talisman would never win an NBA championship, Bayless has riled up a lot of fans in the past with these kinds of wild takes.
On that note, let's take a look at five times Skip Bayless made a pointless opinion on LeBron James.
#1 LeBron James isn't a first-ballot Hall of Famer
In a nine-year-old episode of ESPN's "First Take," which featured popular NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, there was a heated debate that took place between the two on whether LeBron James was a first-ballot Hall of Famer or not. While Smith claimed James would easily go onto make be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Bayless did not seem too positive about it. He said:
"I think that Tiago Splitter is already a future Hall of Famer in the basketball Hall of Fame because everybody gets in and I think Chris is going to get in, in due time, I think Stephen A. is going to get in, in due time.... I don't respect the criteria for getting into the basketball Hall of Fame., the way I can for baseball and the football Hall of Fame. So if I am judging by those standards, the baseball and football standards, there is no way that LeBron James is a first-ballot Hall of Famer already."
LeBron James was in the ninth season of his career by then and had career averages of roughly 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game. He had also won two back-to-back MVPs in 2009 and 2010 and was about to win his third that year (2012).
The only thing missing at that stage for LeBron James was an NBA title, which he did go on to win that season against the San Antonio Spurs while playing for the Miami Heat. But winning a chip hasn't always been the criteria for getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Bayless' take raised a lot of eyebrows and rightfully so. James was widely regarded as one of the greatest players from a very young age. LeBron James getting inducted into the Hall of Fame was an undebatable take at that stage.
#2 LeBron James is more of a "Robin" than he is a "Batman", he is more of a "Pippen" than he is a "Jordan"
LeBron James, from the time he made his debut, was expected to be one of the superstars of the game. He lived up to the hype with his stellar showings and staggering numbers each year, while also managing to lead the mediocre Cleveland Cavaliers team to the playoffs for five straight seasons in his first stint there. He also won his first two MVP awards with the Cavs in 2009 and 2010.
He did not find much success in the postseason, though, reaching the NBA Finals just once during that stretch. LeBron James and his team lost to the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semi-Finals series in the last game of his first stint with the Cavs. James tallied a triple-double (29 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists) but also had nine turnovers which overshadowed his efforts.
Skip Bayless did not take it easy on LeBron James, especially after the number of turnovers the four-time MVP tallied in that game. In a segment on ESPN2 show '1st and 10' recorded in 2010, Bayless went onto say that LeBron is more of a "Pippen" than "Jordan," asserting that he isn't the leader viewers think he is. He said:
"From the start, I saw Batman talent, supreme talent, the biggest talent I have ever seen in the NBA. But the intangibles are much closer to Robin. He is Robin more than he is Batman, he is Pippen more than he is Jordan."
LeBron James has always been widely known for his leadership qualities, which does make Bayless' opinion quite pointless. On top of that, the Cavaliers at that stage wouldn't have been as successful without James. He was key in leading them to the postseason for five straight years.
Also Read: Who is LeBron James' mom, Gloria James?
#3 Cleveland Cavaliers will be closer to the team they were without LeBron James in 2014 without Kyrie Irving
When LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, the Cavs failed to make it to the playoffs until 2015, when James returned to play for them. The Cavs had added 2011's #1 draft pick Kyrie Irving to their roster, but it still wasn't enough for them to earn a top-eight finish until LeBron James returned.
In a five-year-old segment on the famous talk show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Skip Bayless went on to say that the Cavaliers would go back to being the same team they were without LeBron James, but only this time, it would be because of Kyrie Irving's departure. He also claimed Irving is the real MVP of the Cavs team and not LeBron James.
"The MVP of the Cavs is this guy, it's Kyrie Irving. I would hate to see what would happen to LeBron without Kyrie right now because they might be closer to that team when Kyrie was there (Cavs 2011-2014)" said Bayless.
Kyrie Irving did end up leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after their 2017 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers, riding high on LeBron James' heroics, went on to play in the NBA Finals in 2018, despite Irving's absence. Considering the Cavs still stayed in the hunt to come out of the East and achieve the feat without Kyrie, this was certainly not one of Skip Bayless' best opinions on LeBron James.
#4 LeBron James can't stand when somebody else becomes "The Story" in the NBA; Skip Bayless reaction after James shares a moment with Zion Williamson after a game
The 2019 #1 overall pick, Zion Williamson, had an electrifying debut in the NBA. He was considered one of the most popular rookies since LeBron James by several viewers. James, being one of the oldest and most experienced players, has always made a point of making sure he shares his knowledge of the game with the rising stars of the league.
After a game in which the two stars battled it out really hard, LeBron went ahead to give a word of advice to Zion Williamson. It wasn't well-received by a lot of fans as they went on to claim that it was a sign of weakness from LeBron James to be friendly with his competitors in the league.
Meanwhile, Skip Bayless went a step ahead and claimed that LeBron cannot stand someone else taking the spotlight in the NBA. Here's what he said:
"This was about Zion who is becoming a star right before your very eyes, he is putting historical numbers in historical ways and to me, LeBron can't stand it when somebody else becomes the story in the NBA."
Many veterans in the NBA always tend to talk to young stars to give them confidence, to make them comfortable and LeBron James was simply trying to do that. James is considered one of the best players of the current generation and has always garnered respect from all his peers.
Keeping these things in mind, it seems a little difficult to understand why LeBron James would be worried about the spotlight at this stage of his career.
#5 LeBron James disqualified himself from winning the MVP award after joining Miami Heat
In a 2012 segment on ESPN's popular show First Take, Skip Bayless claimed that LeBron James had disqualified himself from having his name mentioned in any kind of MVP conversation. That was because he had joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the Miami Heat, forming a super-team of sorts in the quest to win his first NBA title.
The segment featuring Stephen A. Smith was about whether LeBron James deserved to be an NBA candidate or not (in 2012). Here's what Bayless said:
"I am shocked you can make any kind of case for this man being MVP. I agree with you, he has been sensational. But this basketball team (Miami Heat), has been even more sensational than LeBron has. It mattered, all this mattered when LeBron was Batman by himself in Cleveland. He disqualified himself from ever winning another MVP when he joined forces with D-Wade and Bosh in South Beach."
James had averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game that season. He also went on to win the third MVP award of his career that season and the first of four NBA championships and NBA Finals MVP awards. To add to that, the Heat had a 9-9 record without LeBron James in their team during his stint there, which made him an important piece for the team in helping them become successful.
Guess the Lakers players!
