“He is Hollywood”: ‘Former’ LeBron James Hater Skip Bayless Challenges Lakers Fans’ ‘Outsider’ Perception

LeBron James is one of the best in the world. But, in spite of this fact, some of the Los Angeles Lakers faithful weren’t too happy to see him dawn the Purple and Gold. But, shockingly, Skip Bayless feels that their anger and hatred were unwarranted.

In 2018, King James made the blockbuster decision to move to Hollywood and become a Laker. The move was met with much fanfare, but, as with anything, there were haters. A good chunk of fans felt the signing would negatively impact the legacy of perhaps the greatest Laker, Kobe Bryant.

However, “former” LeBron hater, Skip Bayless feels otherwise. In fact, he defended the four-time Champion on UNDISPUTED, claiming he was born to play in LA.

Skip Bayless defends LeBron James from Lakers fans who consider him an “outsider”

There can be no denying, that LeBron James is the reason for the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent success. The King has been playing at a high level, despite being 38 years old.

He is the reason why the Lakers hung up their 17th banner, and is now the reason why they’re in the Western Conference Finals. But, despite giving it his all for the franchise, there are still those who refuse to acknowledge him. In particular, those members of Laker Nation that still consider him an “outsider”.

Nevertheless, there are still plenty of people to defend King James. And, surprisingly one of them is Skip Bayless. The infamous LeBron “hater” took his side, stating that The King is “Hollywood”. Even going so far as to claim that the Lakers are a team he was born to play for.

“To me in the end. LeBron was actually born to be a Laker. I mean, he’s Hollywood. He is part and parcel of Hollywood. He’s got the production company. It’s almost to the point…he’s starting to run Hollywood. Why would he belong here? Well, he would. He just came late career!”

This new side of Bayless is a stark contrast to his previous demeanor toward James. Then again, he seems to have warmed up toward the sure-fire Hall of Famer in recent times.

Skip Bayless has been defending LeBron quite a bit in recent times

Over the years, Skip Bayless has been less than kind to LeBron James with his criticism. So much so, that he gained a reputation as a LeBron hater. This helped the usual dynamic on UNDISPUTED, which saw Shannon Sharpe stan for The King in the face of Skip’s hate. However, in recent times, Bayless has softened his stance toward the Lakers star.

From praising him for his extraordinary ability at the age of 38 to calling him the greatest driver of basketball ever.

It seems as though Bayless has decided to push his animosity for King James toward one side. One thing is for sure, Shannon will be happy to have a new comrade-in-arms.