“All-time clutch vs rarely clutch, we got cold-blooded killer in Michael Jordan, and we got nice guy in LeBron” - Skip Bayless says LeBron James only has the longevity factor in the GOAT debate
The never-ending GOAT debate has fired up the NBA community again as Hall of Famer Julius Erving endorsed LeBron James over Michael Jordan. He had nothing but praise for the four-time champ on "The Rich Essien show," but sports analyst Skip Bayless has once again spoken up in defense of MJ.
James, with 37,062 points, is on course to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 38,387, as NBA's all-time leading scorer by the end of next season. King James has been playing at a never-before-seen level for a player in his 19th year and still has a shot of winning the scoring title.
Given James' impressive displays, Dr. J believes LeBron will "re-establish the bar for what the GOAT is."
Bayless has made a career out of being critical of James and has continually shown his undying loyalty to Team Jordan. On this occasion, while agreeing to James' longevity being a factor in the debate, he listed all of the areas in which Jordan is better.
"PHONY GOAT, that's what he is to me. The Dr. says, 'So LeBron is the chosen one in that regard.' Well, we know he's the chosen one because he tattooed it on his own back coming out of high school."
After reading out Erving's statement, he said:
"We're back to longevity. Longevity records, that's what LeBron has to make his case, and that's all he has to make his case."
"I'm sorry, it's 6-0 in the Finals and six MVPs versus 4-6 in the Finals. I give you longevity, but in the end, we got all-time clutch versus rarely clutch, we got cold-blooded killer in Michael Jordan, and we got nice guy in LeBron. I boil it down to that."
Dr. J says LeBron set a new level of greatness in the GOAT debate
“Longevity records, that’s all LeBron has to make his case. It’s 6-0 in the Finals and 6 MVPs vs. 4-6 in the Finals…” — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/SKT5m4DDi3
James still has some time to play, which will help him break new ground as time passes. Surpassing Abdul-Jabbar would mean breaking a record that has been in place for decades, which many considered unbreakable.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers have been ridiculed for missing the 2022 playoffs
Perhaps another area that can be used against LeBron James in the debate is him missing the playoffs this year despite putting together an elite scoring team. Coming into the season, the Lakers were championship favorites based on the strength of their squad, but they never got going throughout the season.
Individually, James undoubtedly played the best basketball ever seen from a 37-year-old. But basketball is a team sport, and his teammates were not operating on the same wavelength.
LeBron James this season:
30.3 PPG
8.2 RPG
6.2 APG
52.4% FG
Missed playoffs… https://t.co/itAuirdIyj
Their 121-110 loss against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night made it complete, because, with James, it is never over until it is. Unfortunately, fans have been left heartbroken, with the 2022 team being tagged as one of the worst in Lakers history.
James will have to play at least two more games to qualify for the scoring title. He is 0.1 points behind Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. James is averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 52.4%.