LeBron James passed Karl Malone on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Saturday night, with only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar now being able to claim more regular-season points than the King. As he admitted just recently, Skip Bayless, widely considered James’ greatest critic, watches every game that LeBron plays. So it was no surprise that he was at hand to give his immediate reaction to LBJ’s latest historic achievement.
One of the biggest factors in the case some fans make for LeBron James to be considered the greatest of all times is his longevity. Very few players have been able to do it for as long as LeBron has, he is simply in a league of his own when it comes to consistency. But for Bayless, this became an opportunity to give LBJ a backhanded compliment when he reached this incredible milestone.
Congratulations to LeBron Raymone James Sr. for passing Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list. Great 19-year longevity achievement.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 20, 2022
“Congratulations to LeBron Raymone James Sr. for passing Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list. Great 19-year longevity achievement.”
There is no doubt that LeBron deserves massive praise for recording nearly 37,000 points throughout his career as he pursues the record. But fans can always count on Skip to try and make the achievement seem less special than it is if it comes to LeBron James.
The King is unlikely to care too much, he has never really paid mind to Bayless and his takes and he has received many more heartfelt plaudits for passing Malone from fans and other people across the NBA community. LeBron himself seemed humbled by the achievement, saying he was at a loss for words when asked about it afterward.
The aim now will be to make something happen for the Los Angeles Lakers though. The team has been quite abysmal this season and it’s no surprise that James crossed this mark in a loss against the Washington Wizards. In basketball, team success always matters more and LeBron will be hoping to at least carry his team into the first round of the playoffs.
