“Yet he insisted on taking the max from the Lakers instead of (like Tim Duncan or Brady) giving his team more cap room to improve” - Skip Bayless outrightly questions LeBron James’ desire to win

Skip Bayless is just relentless with respect to taking shots at LeBron James when given a window of opportunity. The Fox Sports analyst promptly took another dig at the LA Lakers superstar following the release of an AT&T Commercial.

The ad, which promotes the giant telecom’s latest on the Apple iPhone 14, featured the four-time MVP and Milana Vayntrub as Lily Adams. Out of nowhere, the veteran sports TV personality immediately tweeted out his criticism:

“Another huge (and lucrative) national-TV ad for LeBron (with Lily) ... yet he insisted on taking the max from the Lakers instead of (like Tim Duncan or Brady) giving his team more cap room to improve the supporting cast. I just don't get it. Does he no longer want to win???”

LeBron James’ massive $97.1 million two-year extension with the LA Lakers forms a big chunk of the team’s salary cap. This effectively hinders the team from signing top-notch talent to bolster the bench as Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are also still on their books.

Bayless emphasized Tim Duncan, who took discounts over the last several years of his career to build an elite team, over LeBron James. Unlike the billionaire, TD averaged $10 million from 2012-14 per Spotrac. In his last two years in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs legend took roughly $5.4 million annually.

Bayless directly mentioned this in a tweet from August 2022, writing:

“Help me out: Why wouldn't LeBron take far less $$$ from the Lakers to maximize chances to win 1 more ring??? He's a BILLIONAIRE.

“In 2013 and '14, Tim Duncan took only 10 mil! Spurs should've won both years. Another reason why Duncan was more valuable than LeBron ever has been.”

That wasn’t the first time Bayless has compared “King James” to Duncan regarding contracts either. Back in 2017, he also called out the Akron, Ohio native for failing to give a hometown discount to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The other famous personality Bayless compared LeBron James to was NFL legend Tom Brady.

After signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady also took less to give the franchise a better chance at winning the Super Bowl. Over the previous three years “TB12” averaged $25 million and this season, he signed a one-year, $15 million deal.

Jeanie Buss, however, has stated in recent weeks that the Lakers’ biggest offseason goal was to extend “King James” by offering him a max deal. The team governor believed that the four-time champ’s impact and value deserved no less than everything the Lakers could offer.

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LeBron James will only give a discount to play with his son Bronny James

LeBron James has said on record that he’s not giving discounts to NBA franchise owners. But he will make an exception when the time comes for Bronny James to play in the pro league.

One of the sports world’s savviest businessmen will only take less money to achieve his ultimate dream of playing with his son:

“Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

The LA Lakers assured James that they would look for ways to build a championship-caliber roster before the extension was offered and signed. With "King James" locked in for two more years, it’s now up to the Lakers to back up their promise.

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