"He played Orlando 'Tragic,' who are now 5 in 23, having lost 12 of their last 13" - Skip Bayless disregards LeBron James' triple-double against a weak Orlando Magic team
LeBron James has become the oldest player to record a triple-double in NBA history at 36 years old, which is an astonishing accomplishment. However, Skip Bayless, on his Fox Sports show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," continued to play his role as James basher by saying the feat wasn't impressive, because it came against the hapless Orlando Magic.
Bayless has long been a critic of James back to Bayless’s days with ESPN. Co-host Shannon Sharpe is one of James’ biggest fans, so arguing about James' greatness pretty much comes up every day.
What a night for @KingJames in the @Lakers win.
✨ 30 points
✨ 11 boards
✨ 10 dimes
✨ 3 blocks https://t.co/oxl4ZM46GH
Bayless’ argument to dimmish James’ accomplishment was based on the fact that the LA Lakers (15-13) are a much better team than the Magic (5-23). The Magic holds the league's second-worst record (entering Monday night's games), and James got his triple-double against the feeble competition.
Skip Bayless said,
"He (LeBron James) played Orlando 'Tragic,' who are now 5 in 23, having lost 12 of their last 13. And they were playing back-to-back because they had to play the Clippers Saturday night in the same building, but they still had to play a basketball game without having to travel. But they had to play back-to-back, while LeBron was resting, he actually jetted off to Phoenix to watch (his son) Bronny play (a high school game)."
.@RealSkipBayless reacts to LeBron becoming the oldest player to ever have a 30-pt triple-double: https://t.co/UoiR28NtSc
The argument makes sense. James took advantage of one of the worst teams in the NBA and played them as they were tired. James caught a team at the right time, but in his 19th season at the age of 36, James was able to get a triple-double.
The argument can be made right now, but when people Google who is the oldest player to have a triple-double, the answer will be "LeBron James." Google will not go into the specifics of what team he was playing and that the Magic were on a back-to-back, making the argument correct but not critical.
LeBron James adds to his legacy
LeBron James is one of the best basketball players in NBA history, but something that adds to his legacy has been his ability to stay at the same level for such a long time. James is just weeks from turning 37, and it seems like he has yet to take a step back.
Much of this could be attributed to the lack of injuries early on in his career, which kept him on the court longer. Despite that, James has taken care of his body to be ready for just about every season and the playoff runs that followed (making 10 NBA Finals appearances).
30-point triple-doubles after turning 35 in NBA history:
1 — Kobe Bryant
1 — Larry Bird
4 — LeBron James (including tonight) https://t.co/vpAERqQqsB
A testament to his longevity is this one stat Tweeted out by StatMuse, which lists all the former players who have triple-doubles over the age of 35. There are only two players, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird, who each have just one, while James already has four.
Throughout this season and likely future seasons, James will keep stacking up stat lines. On top of that, the Lakers often need him to play this way to win, which will help blow up James’ personal stats.