"For more than half of Kareem's life, he's been able to say, 'I'm the greatest scorer in the history of this league'" - NBA Analyst believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is envious of LeBron James surpassing his record
LeBron James has once stirred things up by creating a buzz on social media. His "no thoughts, no relationship" comment about his relationship with the NBA's all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, drew attention. LeBron needs 1,326 points to overtake Abdul-Jabbar's career scoring record.
James has found support for his comments from an unlikely source. Longtime NBA analyst and sports commentator Skip Bayless agreed with James. Bayless is known for being a staunch James critic. On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Bayless said:
"I'm on LeBron's side in this. I do not love the way Kareem has criticized LeBron. It just doesn't feel right to me. His gripes are not worthy of public airing.
"In the biggest picture, it's a little sad to me because, I'm going to knock on wood, if he [LeBron James] stays healthy, he will fairly soon, mid-season, he is going to pass him [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] as the all-time [leading scorer]."
Bayless added:
"Kareem pased Wilt as the all-time leading scorer on April 4, 1984. You're kidding me. That's a long time ago and that's how long Kareem has been able to live with, 'I'm the king of the world. I lead this whole league in scoring.'
"What's Kareem now – 75 years of age – the point is for more than half of Kareem's life, he's been able to say, 'I'm the greatest scorer in the history of this league.' Well, that's a pretty heady life that you led. And all of a sudden, you're going to lose your cache."
For more than half of Kareem's life, he's been able to say "I'm the greatest scorer in the history of this league." And all of a sudden, you're going to lose your cache. More @undisputed, now on FS1. twitter.com/undisputed/sta…
James has been on the receiving end of Abdul-Jabbar's criticism multiple times in the past year. LeBron's "no relationship" remark is interpreted as the Los Angeles Lakers superstar finally firing back at Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem's criticism didn't start until LeBron James started inching towards his record, says Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe, the other analyst on Undisputed, has also sided with LeBron James.
“Why does LeBron have to get along with everybody? Why does LeBron have to have a relationship with everybody? Why? He doesn't. Kareem is his own person. And LeBron is his own person," Sharpe said.
"I think LeBron has been very complimentary of Kareem. He has said it would be a huge honor to be thought of in the same breath as Kareem. But they don't have a relationship."
Sharpe went on to add:
"Kareem has been very critical of LeBron in certain situations. He has backtracked in certain situations. ... It's okay for great players to not have a relationship with other great players. ... But notice Kareem's criticism of LeBron didn't start until he started inching towards that record."
LeBron says he has "no relationship" with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
“It's okay for great players to not have a relationship with other great players...But notice Kareem's criticism of LeBron didn't start until he started inching towards that record." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/ULKbUzxUeu
You can see the video of LeBron James' comment about his relationship with Kareem here.
You can read more about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's criticism of LeBron here.