The GOAT debate might be the oldest argument in the league. Every two weeks, a new point is added; Still, it doesn’t look like there will be an end soon. Recently, Skip Bayless, in the ‘INDISPUTABLE’, doubled down on his opinion of Michael Jordan as the GOAT and listed the reasons why LeBron James could never surpass the Bulls legend.
Bayless said,
“I saw it against Denver last year and I have four straight chances to win four close games. By the way, for the record, in those four games, LeBron [James] “It was just pathetic in the fourth quarter.”
The media veteran called himself “the one who tells the truth” and decided to show more receipts of LeBron failing miserably on the court. He added that in 2015, against the Warriors, LBJ had three big games early in the series. However, when it was time for him to close the series, he appeared as a ghost in the next three.
In the first three games of the series, LBJ had 44, 39 and 40 points and achieved a triple-double in the second game. Although LeBron’s scoring was unaffected in the next three games, the Cavs lost those games and the series. Bayless also has a problem with him because of the way he lost to the Mavs in the 2011 NBA Finals.
In six games, the average 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists and among all the forgettable outings, he scored eight points in 46 minutes in Game 4. Although the list is endless for Bayless, one of his biggest problems with LeBron is that his Legacy largely depends.
The longevity factor.
He said, “Just because you play longer at a higher level doesn’t make you better.” To emphasize his point, he quoted the clip from his show and wrote: “It is difficult to compete with a 6-0 record in the Finals, 6 MVPs and 10 scoring titles. It is difficult to compete with a Michael Jordan who did not have epic failures in his playoffs. ” With all these arguments highlighting LeBron’s historical failures, it’s hard to argue against Bayless.
Is LeBron James great just because of his longevity?
Bayless has stated on many occasions that LeBron’s longevity is the only valuable factor on his resume that allows him a place in these conversations. In 2022, when the NBA renamed several awards in honor of some of the all-time greats, Bayless posted:
“LeBron’s name should be permanently associated with the Longevity Award given annually to the player who has the best season at the end of his career.”
When LBJ broke the 40,000 point barrier and became the first athlete to do so, Bayless recognized that this record was amazing since no other athlete even dreamed of achieving it. However, he added that the only thing this record proves is that LeBron has been an active player in the league for 21 seasons.
He also said Jordan couldn’t reach that mark because he was taking long breaks in his career and falling out of love with the sport. There really isn’t any compelling argument that can be made for LeBron vs. Bayless, but it’s understandable why he would rank MJ above the Lakers superstar.
