One of the most well-known detractors of LeBron James throughout his career has been Skip Bayless. The famed sports analyst took a lane early on in LBJ’s career to criticize him rather than praise him along with the rest of major sports media. It’s one of Skip’s most recognized traits. He hated on James for no other reason than he could attract attention while doing so.
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Gilbert Arenas has not forgotten about Skip’s pettiness. On the latest edition of his Gil’s Arena show, he spoke about James’ greatness after the 40-year-old legend entered the 50,000 points club (regular season+Playoffs), the first in NBA history to do so. This forced Arenas to bring up a point about how NBA journalists, specifically Skip, have attempted to smear LBJ’s rise as an all-time great.
“The people that came into the NBA to write for the NBA didn’t love the sport,” Arenas claimed. He said these analysts saw it more as a job than a passion, but did credit the select few who had a genuine passion for basketball. He then called out Skip for his recent praise of James’ accomplishments, stating that he should have been doing that since the very beginning.
“If you actually opened your eyes you would have realized how f***ing good he was when you was pretending he wasn’t who he was,” Arenas passionately preached. He added, “If you’re going to be a fan of a player and his greatness, just be a fan of greatness itself.”
“Enjoy it cause we are never going to see this type of dominance again.”
Gil says LeBron deserved his respect long before 40-years old ️ pic.twitter.com/L9b2t1Q0lK
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) March 5, 2025
True fans of ball know that Skip has always shouted just to shout. The problem is so many fans dislike James so much they refuse to acknowledge his accomplishments — and Skip’s near farcical tirades seemed like gospel to them. Skip may have begun to come around, but he still sneaks in the occasional jab at LBJ from time to time.
Gil believes that the NBA will never see greatness like LeBron James again
While Skip stands in the corner of hate, Arenas has built his own corner of praise. On the same episode of his show, he claimed that the NBA will never see greatness like LeBron James again. Well…at least not in this lifetime.
“Enjoy it…cause we’re never gonna see this type of dominance again,” Arenas joked. “Not in our lifetime. Whoever it is, they ain’t in the NBA yet.”
Arenas at some point referred to James as the first-ever 40-year-old face of the league. However, James himself didn’t ask for the responsibility. The Lakers star told the media after a recent game that there’s a weird energy by those who cover the NBA, and how their nonstop negativity has cast a dark cloud over the league.
“Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day to day basis sh*t on everybody?” asked LBJ.
“Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day to day basis sh*t on everybody?”
– LeBron pic.twitter.com/RlMiIvZyEJ
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) February 28, 2025
The ‘Face of the League’ conversation has been ongoing for several weeks, especially since young players like Anthony Edwards stated they themselves didn’t want the label. The number of beat writers, podcasters, or TV analysts who get “views” doesn’t usually come from having an overly positive outlook.
Novice NBA players like Kendrick Perkins are spoken about daily because Perk knows how to work the system. Same for Skip. Their shifting narratives is partly the reason the NBA is so criticized by the casual fans. Hopefully, the trend ends after LBJ retires, because the four-time NBA Champion cannot seem to ever get the target off his back.
