The night of LeBron James‘ 39th birthday became a disappointing one as the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-106. The 4x champion was the driving force throughout the road game, but his misfortune eventually cost his team. Following the defeat, LeBron’s misery only increased as Skip Bayless berated the Lakers star publicly.
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With 1.4 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, James received the ball near the high post for the final possession of the match. The 39-year-old took a dribble before eventually going past both Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert to attempt a layup. Despite his best efforts, LeBron failed to release the ball in time, resulting in a 2-point loss for the visitors.
The instance turned the head of Bayless as the sports analyst took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his thoughts. “WHAT WAS THAT LAST DRIVE SHOT BY LEBRON THAT HIT NOTHING??? ONLY DOWN TWO. COME ON, BRON, GO UP STRONGER AND DRAW THE FOUL ON ANTMAN! ONCE AGAIN, AFRAID TO HAVE TO MAKE THE TWO FREE THROWS TO TIE,” the 72-year-old posted.
WHAT WAS THAT LAST DRIVE SHOT BY LEBRON THAT HIT NOTHING??? ONLY DOWN TWO. COME ON, BRON, GO UP STRONGER AND DRAW THE FOUL ON ANTMAN! ONCE AGAIN, AFRAID TO HAVE TO MAKE THE TWO FREE THROWS TO TIE.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 31, 2023
Despite the possible harshness in his tone, Bayless’ suggestions had a certain level of volume in them on this occasion. With Edwards tightly marking him to prevent him from entering the paint, LeBron failed to utilize the situation to his benefit. His inability to draw the foul to earn free throws infuriated the sports columnist as James remained fixated on scoring in that possession. Thus, Bayless mercilessly raised questions over the decision-making of the 4x MVP as his franchise lost in Minnesota.
Amidst the concerns, LeBron had his set of reasons to go for that particular play. After all, his free throw percentage is only 74.3% in this regular season. So, he might have considered a contested layup as a safer option than back-to-back clutch free throws to level the scores. All in all, this defeat turned his birthday games record to 5-5 as the Lakers were forced to stay at the 9th spot in the West.
Not the first time Skip Bayless has questioned the decision-making of LeBron James
Earlier this year, Bayless had a different tone in his voice as he mocked James for doing the exact opposite of the recent instance. In an away game against the Boston Celtics, the small forward missed a layup before appealing for a foul call to earn free throws. The Lakers star’s wish was not granted by the officials sparking a reaction out of the analyst. “LeBron James was relieved he didn’t have to shoot those free throws,” he mentioned on that occasion.
I thought there was a little part of LeBron that was relieved he didn’t have to go shoot the free throws. But he was justifiably outraged. More @undisputed, now on FS1.
pic.twitter.com/5vzEkcF65D— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 30, 2023
It further showcased the complicated relationship of Bayless with the 19x All-Star. He previously even raised questions about LeBron’s increased workload this season. “I thought the plan was to pace himself this season. Year 21, turns 39 on December 30th, so he could be much readier for the play-offs than he was last season,” he declared earlier.
So, his recent comments on the game were a display of his stance on James overall. Considering Skip’s nature and history with the player over all these years, it’s tough to view his statements seriously despite the factual evidence behind them. Thus, the recent instance only gave rise to yet another iconic LeBron-Bayless moment in the NBA.
