"The part that is threatened of LeBron knocking him off the pedestal" - Skip Bayless believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is only criticizing LeBron James because he is close to breaking his scoring record

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's recent criticism of LeBron James has been met with some backlash. The Hall of Famer had on Sunday questioned the LA Lakers forward's leadership, stating that he should be embarrassed by his actions.

He had referred to some of the things the 2022 leading scoring champion has been involved in as beneath him. He also stated that James is "standing on both sides of the fence" and as such it is difficult to know where he stands on things.

The latest basketball reporter/analyst to react to this criticism is Skip Bayless. On the "Undisputed show," Bayless alongside Shannon Sharpe disagreed with Abdul-Jabbar's motive. Bayless was of the opinion that the all-time leading scorer is feeling threatened by Bron, who is on the verge of breaking his record.

"I am completely on LeBron's side. I believe this is coming from the deepest part of Kareem." Skip said. "The part that is threatened by LeBron knocking him off the pedestal that he's occupied in all these many many years. It's his one claim to fame, it has kept him relevant year after year."

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LeBron James is on track to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 21, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Lakers defeated the Cavaliers 131-120.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has held the all-time scoring leader position for about 38 years, since surpassing Wilt Chamberlain. Abdul-Jabbar broke Chamberlain's record on April 5, 1984, as the LA Lakers took on the Utah Jazz. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, he netted his 22nd points of the night, summing up to a total of 31,420 points as compared to Chamberlain's 31,419.

After featuring in the league for 20 seasons, he went on to retire in 1989 with a total of 38,387 points to his name, with Karl Malone placing second at 36,374. LeBron James recently unseated Malone from the second position.

He has now garnered 37,062 points after 19 seasons and is only 1,325 points away from tying with Abdul-Jabbar and 1,326 points from surpassing him. This he can achieve within a regular as he has averaged 1,964 points per season in the past 18 seasons.