Skip Bayless is always trying to find the littlest piece of info to trash LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been the analyst’s favorite victim for quite some time now, and that won’t stop until after James retires from the game.
After the 36-year-old sent a message to the rest of the league, claiming he’s getting ready to bounce back with the purple and gold after failing to defend their championship last year. Following a first-round elimination, Bron is ready to make a statement with the newly-formed Lakers superteam.
The player sent a big message on Instagram.
“It’s not about (how) you fail. It’s about how you come back from it,” James wrote on an Instagram story.
Well, Bayless saw an opportunity to attack the 4x NBA champion and took it. He recalled all LeBron’s career ‘failures’ on Twitter, going from 2009 until 2021.
When LeBron talks bouncing back from failure, I listen. He has failed SO MUCH. 2009 Magic. 2010 Celts (Gilbert: “Quit.”) 2011 Finals meltdown. 2013 G6 saved by Ray. 2014 record Finals margin loss. 2015 Finals G4/5/6. 2018 G1 OT pout. 2019 missed playoffs. 2021 G5 left bench.
When LeBron talks bouncing back from failure, I listen. He has failed SO MUCH. 2009 Magic. 2010 Celts (Gilbert: "Quit.") 2011 Finals meltdown. 2013 G6 saved by Ray. 2014 record Finals margin loss. 2015 Finals G4/5/6. 2018 G1 OT pout. 2019 missed playoffs. 2021 G5 left bench.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 14, 2021
In 2009, he succumbed to the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. One year later, the Boston Celtics took him out in the second round of the playoff. In 2011, LeBron and the Miami Heat collapsed against the inspired Dallas Mavericks.
Now, some moments are a stretch, and Bayless took advantage of that to criticize the player.
In 2013, the Heat faced a terrific San Antonio Spurs team. If it wasn’t for that game-tying 3-pointer by Ray Allen, there was nothing LeBron or anybody else could do against the Spurs. In the 2014 NBA Finals, he starred in the infamous AC incident. Still, even without that, nobody was stopping San Antonio that year.
The 2015 Finals saw a weakened Cleveland Cavaliers team facing the Big 3 Golden State Warriors, losing that series in six games. Three years later, JR Smith cost the Cavs a crucial win in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals after he forgot the score. LeBron carried the Cavs to that moment. That series would’ve been different if Smith actually made a basket after George Hill missed a free throw.
During his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron tried to lead a young Lakers team to the playoff. Sadly, injuries prevented him from having a good first season with the purple and gold.
This past season, Bron suffered some injuries, and so did the rest of the team. They faced the young and hungry Phoenix Suns that beat them in six games.
It’s true that Bron has had some questionable performances during his career but naming all these moments as a failure, even knowing that things were close because of him, it’s just unfair.
Bayless will take advantage of everything to criticize LeBron, and this is the prime example of that.
