“He is the kind of media manipulation, he is the king of setting the narrative” - Skip Bayless on LeBron James overtaking Karl Malone in the 3-point era
LeBron James passed Karl Malone for second place on the NBA's all-time scoring list Saturday. Many are celebrating his accomplishment, but Skip Bayless did the opposite Thursday on “The Skip Bayless Show.” Bayless said the achievement is not as large as people believe.
LeBron James' recent achievemets are not as great as they seem
Skip Bayless said:
“I have no doubt that you think I hammer away at LeBron far too much. But you know what? Somebody has to tell the objective truth about the master media manipulator that is LeBron James. He is the king of media manipulation. He is the king of setting the narrative that enhances his stature.”
LeBron James passing Karl Malone isn't as significant as you think, @RealSkipBayless explains: https://t.co/5O05QZ0TPv
James also became the only player in NBA history with 10,000 points, assists and rebounds on March 13. Although the accomplishment came during a 140-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns, “The King” still found a reason to celebrate.
Then, in a 127-119 loss over the Washington Wizards on Saturday, James passed Karl Malone into second place on the all-time scoring list. James finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
LEBRON MOVES TO SECOND ALL-TIME IN REGULAR SEASON SCORING 😤 https://t.co/jbT5zBC1l5
On top of those achievements, James is averaging a league-leading 30.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game this season, his 19th in the NBA.
Even with all of this, Bayless still finds reasons to come at LeBron for not being as great as everyone thinks, but he backs it up with facts nonetheless.
Bayless said James sets narratives that downplay his ability so he can act far above what people think he is capable of, making him seem greater than he is. Bayless said LeBron has referred to himself as “not a natural-born scorer” but then passed Malone primarily with 3-pointers. Bayless questioned how one can not be a natural-born scorer but then make as many shots as he did.
Bayless gave a stat comparison between Malone and James’ 3-pointers:
“Karl Malone in his 19-year career made 85 3-pointers … LeBron has made 2,129. That means LeBron has scored 6,132 more points from 3 than Karl did. Well, that’s a huge advantage, because obviously last time I checked three is greater than two.”
The comparison outlined a large difference in the scoring opportunities between the two. At the same time, it notes James’ ability to grow as a player and develop his deep game to be able to score in different ways. Moving into second place should be celebrated nonetheless. Malone’s total is still legendary, and the way he got his points for his time period was admirable.
James has 36,985 points, while Malone retired with 38,928. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with 38,387.
It's not like James is shooting wide-open 3-pointers. The league has developed defensively at deep, just as it has offensively. As a result, James’ ability to score remains great. Bayless had a point in the difference in the players. But James has also passed many players on the list who had the deep shot in their arsenal.