Skip Bayless criticizes LeBron James for not shaking the hands of any Suns players following the Lakers Game 6 loss to get eliminated.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been down on their luck ever since the first game of the 2020-21 NBA season. In their season opener against the Clippers, LeBron James would sprain his right ankle; an event that would foreshadow a series of injuries to both him and his co-star, Anthony Davis, that would carry forth into their last game of this postseason.
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The Lakers looked helpless on the court in trying to contain Devin Booker and the Suns on the offensive end of the floor. With Anthony Davis in clear pain, the bug-man would exit the game in the 1st quarter and would not return. Though LeBron James and company would cut the 29 point lead down to 11 at one point in the 3rd, the Suns would pull away to win, 113-110.
Game 5 of this series saw the Suns blow out the Lakers and would result in a questionable move by LeBron James to leave the floor with 6 minutes left in the game. Come Game 6 and history repeated itself merely 2 days later.
LeBron James leaves the floor without shaking any Suns players hands, much to Skip Bayless’s chagrin.
With just over 30 seconds left in the game and the bout having been decided at that point, LeBron James would leave the floor and not return to shake any of the Phoenix Suns players’ hands, unlike his teammates who would stay to congratulate the rising Suns. Skip Bayless naturally took offense to this and took to Twitter to voice his ‘disgust’.
A quick exit for Lakers’ LeBron James after Game 6 loss. No handshakes on the court w/ the Suns pic.twitter.com/hv7S60KHRk
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 4, 2021
Can’t wait to talk about LeBron leaving the court without shaking any hands … just as he left the bench (and stench) with 5:40 left in the blowout Game 5 loss at Phoenix. That’s who he is and always has been.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 4, 2021
It’s no doubt that Skip Bayless, after having forsaken the Clippers, will have a field day in the coming episode of Undisputed alongside Shannon Sharpe. Bayless, a longtime LeBron detractor, will somehow find a way to weave in Michael Jordan into this narrative. However, when it comes to this ‘hand-shaking’ debacle, his inclusion here would be justified.
LeBron James refusing to stay on the floor for Game 6 to shake hands with his opponents is eerily reminiscent of the Detroit Pistons in 1991 not wanting any part of Michael Jordan and the Bulls after getting swept in the ECF. This of course, irked MJ but the Bulls didn’t think anything of it as they would had more games to worry about.
The ‘beef’ between LeBron and the Suns may not exist however as Devin Booker and the Lakers star were since in good spirits following the game as the latter handed the 24-year-old a signed jersey of his.