“He keeps his friends close, and his enemies closer” - Skip Bayless believes LeBron James is making Draymond Green ‘a lot of coin’, says it felt like Draymond was ‘bought off’
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James passed Karl Malone to secure second place on the NBA's all-time scorers leaderboard barely a week ago.
With him getting closer to reaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record, Golden State Warriors Draymond Green declared that he would do anything to witness greatness. He said he would miss his own team's game to go watch LeBron break the record.
Draymond Green wouldn't miss out on LeBron James making history 👀 https://t.co/vg4c1Az4h7
It will be a historic event that many would like to see. There will be an even greater buzz than when Stephen Curry was on his way to breaking the three-point record. The scoring record has been in place since 1989, and it is understandable that Draymond would like to witness it live, as will many others in the NBA community.
However, not many are comfortable with Draymond's comments. On Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, sports analysts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe reacted to Dray's statement.
Skip started by revisiting the 2016 NBA Finals series where Draymond got in LeBron's face, calling him the 'B word' and kicked him as they made their way down the court. After pointing out such hostility towards each other in the past, he said:
"Then LeBron pulled this off. The season is barely over, and I read that Draymond is now the business partner of LeBron James on Uninterrupted? LeBron, I always tell you, he is a shrewd operator. He keeps his friends close, and his enemies closer."
"So, he managed to not only talk Draymond into joining him, but they became partners in this, to where I'm sure Dray is saying, 'LeBron is making me a lot of coins,' and I'm sure he is because LeBron's got a lot of coins and he knows how to make."
"All of a sudden, Draymond, it felt like he was bought off to me. Now, he's LeBron's best friend."
Draymond declares he'll skip his game to watch LeBron set the scoring record. @RealSkipBayless reacts:
"Not all that long ago, Draymond got into it with LeBron, screamed at him and called him the B word." https://t.co/ifhUYfcp07
The Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry has been one of the most heated in recent years, which is why you can understand why their friendship is shocking. Nonetheless, it could simply be a case of recognizing greatness and appreciating it while you can.
LeBron James is 1,402 points away from reaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring tally
If LeBron continues producing at this level, he will top Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scorer's leaderboard before the end of the 2022-23 NBA season. LeBron is already the all-time leading scorer in the regular season and playoffs combined.
The Lakers have had a horrible season, but that is not due to a lack of effort from LeBron. The four-time NBA champ is currently averaging 30.0 points and could win the scoring title.
LeBron James is leading the NBA in PPG at 30.0…Unreal. 👑🔥
(h/t @statmuse) https://t.co/N9JWAJQkkl
If he achieves that, he will be the oldest player in league history to do so, and it will only be the second in his 19-year career. However, LBJ has averaged 25+ points since his sophomore season.
It has been a record-breaking season for LeBron, and the 18-time All-Star will undoubtedly continue to push the pace. He has explicitly stated that he wants to play with his son Bronny in the league, which means he will remain active for at least two more seasons.
Click here to bet on LeBron James scoring more than 30 points against New Orleans Pelicans