Veteran NBA analyst Skip Bayless recently called out LA Lakers superstar LeBron James amid their two-game losing streak. One of James’ most frequent detractors, Bayless said the media has protected the four-time NBA champion more than any athlete throughout his 22-year career, and he deserves to be blamed for his team’s inadequacies.
On Monday’s episode of his eponymous “The Skip Bayless Show,” the analyst touched on LeBron James’ apparent penchant for avoiding blame for his team’s deficiencies.
“I’m constantly amazed by how hard the LeBron-worshipping media works to protect him by ignoring so many of his classic failures,” Bayless said. “LeBron eclipses Aaron Rodgers as the most overprotected superstar in sports history.”
LeBron James’ Lakers are on a two-game losing streak
The Lakers had a six-game winning streak running—the best of the season thus far—until Thursday when they lost to a shorthanded Orlando Magic. The team played while missing its key player Paolo Banchero, who is sidelined with an oblique injury. The 119-118 loss, which was the Lakers’ first one at home after going 7-0 at Crypto.com Arena, came after a last-second triple from Franz Wagner.
FRANZ WAGNER GAME WINNER OVER THE LAKERS 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/8yL14KwPIb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2024
Then the Lakers suffered another loss two days later, this time at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. They had a double-digit lead in the first half, but the Nuggets whittled it down and eventually took the win, 127-102, dropping them to a 10-6 record.
This has been every Lakers/Nuggets game for 3 years pic.twitter.com/y2fCcp7YfT
— NICK (@nickgrodo) November 24, 2024
Skip Bayless pointed out that LeBron James went 2-for-4 at the free-throw line during Thursday’s game against the Magic, and he failed to seize the opportunity to close the game
“LeBron, for his career, is a 74% free-throw shooter. That ranks, since he came into the league, 682nd all-time,” Bayless said. “This year, he’s right on his career average at 74.0%. That ranks, in this year’s NBA, 177th. That’s LeBron bleeping James. I mean, this is the leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association, and he’s only a 74% free-throw shooter? That’s mind-boggling to me.”
Bayless added that James should have attempted to shoot a game-winner on Thursday, instead of running from do-or-die-situation shots at the end of games “like always.”
“He’s hiding from the basketball. He’s acting like he’s some kind of decoy. He’s no decoy. He’s LeBron bleeping James,” the analyst said.
As for the Lakers’ 25-point loss against the Nuggets, Bayless also attributed it to James’ lack of assertiveness. According to the analyst, the team found it difficult to move on from James letting them down against the Magic two days prior.
“They were flat, they were lifeless, they looked drained (and) they looked uninspired, I believe because their leader had failed them on Thursday night at home,” Bayless said. “They gave up a 50-17 run. Just shameful.”
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