Sports analyst Jason Whitlock lashes out at Skip Bayless and the media, accusing them of fueling the narrative around LeBron James‘ career. Whitlock believes their harsh criticism of James significantly impacted the LA Lakers superstar’s performance and attitude on the court.
In an X/Twitter post on Friday, Whitlock mentioned companies he claimed were making unfair remarks about James. However, he directed most of the criticism to Bayless, blaming him as the trigger for the criticisms.
“Obviously I’m not a LeBron James homer. Here’s the deal: Skip Bayless, ESPN, Stephen A, and Embrace Debate put LeBron James on the defensive very early in his career. They stunted LeBron’s growth and sent him down the angry victimhood path,” Whitlock said
Whitlock also revisited Bayless’ relentless comparisons of the then-rising star LeBron James to Michael Jordan, arguing that the media personality placed immense pressure on James from the start of his career.
“Skip started trolling 21-year-old LeBron about Michael Jordan. Skip put LeBron in a fight he could never win. No one else has faced that kind of polarizing discussion. ‘You ain’t Jordan.’ ‘You ain’t Gretzsky.’ ‘You ain’t Ali.’ Mike Tyson didn’t have to be Ali for his greatness to be recognized and fully celebrated,” Whitlock added.
Finally, Whitlock argued that Bayless and the media played a key role in shaping James’ shift in attitude, leading to persistent criticisms of his perceived selfishness on the court.
“Debate sports TV undermined LeBron and put him on the defensive. Turned a happy-go-lucky kid angry and defensive. Facts are facts. This should be discussed, but it takes too much thought and won’t go viral.”
LeBron James averaged 27.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 7.5 rebounds throughout his career. He established himself as one of the NBA’s greatest players, known for his consistent longevity and talent.
Bulls legend makes bold response to LeBron James’ milestone
LeBron James became the first NBA player to reach the 50,000-point mark during Tuesday’s match against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, Chicago Bulls legend Ron Harper wasn’t seemingly impressed.
When an X/Twitter user asked which is harder to achieve between winning a championship or scoring 50,000 career points, Harper replied, “Rings,” downplaying James’ historic milestone.
Rings
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) March 6, 2025
Harper achieved five championships with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, one more than LeBron James’ four.
However, James leads in almost all stats in the league, and achieving 50,000 points is nearly impossible.
LeBron James and the Lakers will face the Boston Celtics on Saturday, hoping to extend their eight-game winning streak.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
