The GSW forward could no longer bear the analyst’s criticism of King James.
Skip Bayless (L) has an irrational hatred towards LeBron James.
Until now, no one knows exactly the reason for the particular dispute that Skip Bayless has with LeBron James.
The analyst’s criticisms focus exclusively on sports but reach a level where even James’ old rivals, such as Draymond Green, consider them more personal than professional.
Recently, Green attended “The Big Podcast” hosted by Shaquille O’Neal. During the talk, the Golden State Warriors star forward called Bayless “the biggest hater outside the NBA.”
Immediately, he recalled Bayless’s constant criticism of King James, saying, “For instance, like, there’s nothing [LeBron James] has done to give you something to hate on every single day.”
It is worth remembering that Green and James also had a bitter rivalry. During the 2016 finals, their feud almost came to blows. However, the bad feelings faded gradually, and the two are now on good terms.
Bayless, LeBron, and the GOAT
Many analysts share Green’s opinion regarding Bayless. Krishna Shukla of Essentially Sports pointed out five instances where it has become evident that Bayless’ hate is a personal rather than professional issue.
For example, Shukla recalls, shortly before the 2023 NBA Draft, then-prospect Brandon Miller considered James in his top-3 to be the greatest of all time (GOAT).
As soon as he found out, Bayless launched personal criticisms against Miller:
“My issue with Brandon Miller… is that his statement you presume LeBron is better than Jordan. THAT’S what now makes me wonder about Brandon Miller.”
For Bayless, James does not deserve to be even in the top-5 of the best of all time, and on one occasion, he boasted that on his list, LeBron was ranked number nine.
“Before 40,000 points, I had LeBron ninth on my all-time list. After 40,000 points, I still have LeBron ninth on my all-time list,” said the commentator when King James broke the record for most career points.
More criticism from Bayless
Beyond the GOAT title dispute, Bayless has criticized the Lakers’ forward for what he considers a lack of strenght in the face of injuries, like when he had physical problems that forced him to leave the court for several minutes in the last game of the 2014 finals.
He also “accused” him of not having what he calls the “clutch gene”, that quality that all greats have and that leads them to put their team on their shoulders when necessary.
Furthermore, Shukla says, Bayless tends to ignore all the achievements and recognitions that LeBron has or minimizes them under any pretext.
It is highly unlikely that the veteran analyst will change his attitude toward the King James.
Whatever his reasons, as long as there is someone to listen to him, Bayless will not stop his criticism of the Lakers great.
