It isn’t every day that sports media personality Skip Bayless has words of praise for LeBron James. Bayless has notoriously voiced his grievances toward James for a multitude of things, especially in the GOAT debate. When it comes to picking a side between James and Michael Jordan, however, Bayless sides with the Chicago Bulls legend. Bayless doesn’t have to agree with everything James does. But there’s one decision the four-time NBA champion made years ago, which Bayless humbly gives James credit for.
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Every great player needs a team around them. No one achieves greatness individually. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant leaned heavily upon the expertise of their trainer, Tim Grover. James didn’t follow the path of the legendary guards by seeking Grover’s help, but found someone else worthy.
The same way Jordan mentored Bryant, Grover helped Mike Mancias. James hit it off with Mancias early in his career and the two have dominated the NBA together ever since.
Bayless was quite familiar with their partnership, but was reminded of the fact during a recent encounter at the premiere of the new Dallas Cowboys’ Netflix documentary, ‘America’s Team’.
“All of a sudden, I get tapped on the shoulder,” Bayless revealed on The Skip Bayless Show. “I turn around, there’s this fairly tall guy. He says, ‘Skip, I’m Mike Mancias.'”
Of course, Bayless knew exactly who Mancias was and he was more than happy to give James his flowers for picking the best in the business.
“One thing about LeBron James, he surrounds himself with greatness,” Bayless admitted. “Mike Mancias is masterful at his job. He’s one of the best.”
The improvements to LeBron’s game, which Mancias made possible, are nothing to gloss over. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has continued to dominate the NBA at 40 years old, thanks in large part to the training regimen Mancias has utilized.
“I know genetics plays some role, but nobody’s ever worked harder on his body. Nobody has lasted longer than LeBron James. So, it was an honor to meet the man who’s helped him,” Bayless said.
Mancias doesn’t like to attract too much attention to himself, but his mind for the game is in a league of its own. It only makes sense that LeBron chose him to be his trainer.
