"Gutless king...no clutch gene" - Skip Bayless accuses LeBron James of not taking over games in the clutch

LeBron James has often been the target of American sports analyst Skip Bayless’ hate. Bayless took to his Twitter account, after the LA Lakers’ win against the New York Knicks, calling LeBron “gutless”. But in the game, LeBron James recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, including 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Throughout the 2021-22 season so far, Skip Bayless has called out LeBron several times. It was either because of his increased three-point attempts, missed free-throws or just missed shots late in the game. After the New York Knicks game, Skip Bayless accused LeBron in his tweet, saying:

“Gutless King. No clutch gene. No courage to just drive it, get fouled, make one single free throw to win. Every time he takes his worst shot, a deep three, so his apologists can say ‘Well, he missed a tough shot.’ Nope. Doesn’t trust himself at late-game free-throw line.”

Skip Bayless has been a James critic for a long time now. Ironically, he puts out these bold statements and criticisms when LeBron is having a good stretch of performances. Take LeBron’s last ten games of the season, he is averaging 30.5 points, 9 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

He missed five games with knee issues as the Lakers went 1-4 during that stretch. He returned to help the Lakers to a victory, but Skip Bayless wants him to drive more, following up with another tweet, saying:

“Come on, LeBron, drive it and make the free throws. You can do it, King.”

Although LeBron is inconsistent from the free throw line, he has been shooting a better percentage (75.7%) this season. The last time he shot better than that, was in the 2011-12 season (77.1%) with the Miami Heat. But if you look at his stats, the number of free-throw attempts has dropped significantly in the last few years.

Is Skip Bayless a LeBron James' hater or loves Michael Jordan too much?

Skip Bayless has often compared LeBron to Michael Jordan, saying James could never catch up to the legend. He has even spoken about Jordan’s perfect record in the NBA Finals, as opposed to LeBron’s multiple empty visits to the contest.

When LeBron won the 2016 NBA Finals, beating the Golden State Warriors after coming back from a 3-1 disadvantage in the series, Bayless was ready with a comment on LeBron, saying:

“Please don’t tell me LeBron James, great as he is, will ever even sniff the legacy of Michael Jordan.”

Skip Bayless will most likely continue hating LeBron James to his last day on the floor, but there is no denying the greatness he brings to the sport. In his 19th NBA season, he is playing exceptionally averaging 29.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists.

Over the years, he has kept himself healthy and added many different aspects to his game. Although the LA Lakers have been disappointing, Anthony Davis’ current form and LeBron James’ return could help in turning things around.