Although Bayless always tries to explain that he doesn’t hate LeBron James but some of his takes in the past indicate the opposite. It is quite evident that Skip Bayless has been one of the critics of LeBron James since he entered the league.
Fans often label him as a “hater” of James because he keeps mentioning the NBA star on almost all the debate shows.
He always tries to deny the fact that he hates LeBron, and in one of his podcasts, he said:
I hate to spoil this party, but I do not hate LeBron James. From the bottom of my heart, I don’t hate him. In fact, I hate the misconception that I hate LeBron James. I just tell the truth… That often times nobody would tell.
Bayless ignoring the accomplishments of LeBron James
Skip Bayless has been consistent in going after the likes of LeBron and has been always seen ignoring the accomplishments of James.
In a NBA conversation Brandon Miller was asked about NBA players he considers as GOATs and Miller answered that he feels Paul George is the best in the game. He also gave his opinion on how George is better than James and then talked about how he is not impressed by Micheal Jordan. Bayless tweeted something on this:
My issue with Brandon Miller isn't that he thinks Paul George is better than LeBron. It's that his statement presumes LeBron is better than Jordan. THAT'S what now makes me wonder about Brandon Miller.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 21, 2023
On one side this turned out to be funny, but on the other side, Skip’s hate for James become a bit more clear.
One of Skip’s pointless take on LeBron from 2012
On one of the episodes of the ESPN show “First Take,” a debate took place between Smith and Skip on whether LeBron was a first-ballot Hall of Famer or not. Smith was positive about it, but Skip wasn’t, and 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 winning 3 championships
By 2012 James had only won 1 title. Later, he won 2 more, one for the same team Miami Heat in the year 2013 and the other championship in 2016 for Cleveland Cavaliers. In total, James has three National Basketball Association championships.
LeBron James: First-Ballot Hall of Famer?
If we look at the records, he seems to deserve that. He has too many records on his name and too many achievements which are far more than the current Hall of Famers, so there’s no doubt about it. He already seems to be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer.
