Skip Bayless Refuses To Accept Russell Westbrook As A Veteran Leader In The League

The rocky relationship between Skip Bayless and Russell Westbrook has just taken a turn for the worse. The sports analyst recently called out the 2017 MVP while refusing to acknowledge his status as a veteran leader in the NBA. This turned the heads of the league’s followers, sparking discussions everywhere.

On UNDISPUTED, Bayless downplayed Westbrook’s leadership qualities while comparing him with Patrick Beverley. The 72-year-old analyst pointed out that the Los Angeles Lakers teammates had much in common as veteran figures. However, he pointed out one key difference in their approach and said,

“Speaking of those two guys, they have a lot in common, Pat and Russ to me. They both have that dog in them. But Russ’ dog is a ‘me’ dog as opposed to an ‘us’ dog. To me, he is more of a solo act… You were saying all last year that he is a leader in the Clippers. I’m like, ‘Russell Westbrook is a leader?'”.

Earlier in the show, Bayless even devalued Brodie’s gameplay to raise further questions about his capabilities. Tracing back to his Oklahoma City Thunder days, he discussed how Russell Westbrook often fell short compared to his then teammates, Kevin Durant and James Harden. Expressing his stance, the analyst mentioned,

“I’m from Oklahoma City and when that team rose up… I just couldn’t get my arms around Russ. KD, yeah big fan…James Harden, yeah, he was a lethal sixth man for the team… But Russ drove me crazier… I’ve been anti-Russ from the start. I have got nothing personal against him but when you’re a high volume 3-point shooter, and you’re around 30% for your career, it’s hard to live with that”.

There’s no denying that Westbrook’s competitive nature has helped him reach the pinnacle of NBA success. However, it has also led to disagreements within the team, often damaging team dynamics. On this occasion, Bayless focused on the latter, revealing one side of the coin.

Skip Bayless didn’t just stop there

His words surfaced shortly after Westbrook departed from the Los Angeles Clippers. The 35-year-old joined the Utah Jazz as a precursor to his anticipated move to the Denver Nuggets. While this marked the end of his brief yet impactful time with the LA side, it also fulfilled his and Nikola Jokić’s wish to team up in Colorado.

While this move excited the NBA world, Bayless warned Jokic. Cautioning him about a potential repeat of the past, the analyst wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Joker, beware: Once, LeBron pushed for the Lakers to go get Russell Westbrook. Pretty soon LeBron was pushing even harder for the Lakers to get rid of him”.

Undoubtedly, Bayless’ words stem from his reservations about Westbrook. However, if the latter let his ambitions drive him again, he could turn these dubious comments into reality. So, the 2017 MVP must start from scratch, with hopes for a better future at the Nuggets.