"They're LeBricks" - Skip Bayless calling out LeBron James for lacking clutch gene leaves Richard Sherman in disbelief
As LeBron James continues to excel on the court at 38 years old, he will still have his consistent critics and doubters. Some will say that it comes with the territory, as the Lakers legend is one of the greatest players to have ever played in the NBA. Others might note that critics and doubters will always find something negative to point out, regardless of the situation.
One of James' most frequent critics is FS1's "Undisputed" host, Skip Bayless. During a recent segment on the FS1 show, Bayless criticized LeBron James' subpar production during late or close game situations:
"Since LeBron entered this league, nobody has missed more late and close shots than LeBron James," Bayless said. "When it comes to crunch time, when it comes to closing time, he does not have the closer gene in him. And I've detailed all these games ... watch how bad the shots are. They're air-balls, they're clangers, they're LeBricks, they're not even close."
From Bayless' point of view, James has struggled during these situations since his rookie season. His stance on the topic garnered strong reactions from former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman and former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
The two former NFL players were particularly not fond of the stance Bayless took, considering everything James has done and continues to do. Despite his prime years being behind him, LeBron James continues to defy father time while still showing he has a lot left in the tank.
Sherman and Johnson disagreed with Bayless, as it was not enough to take away everything James has accomplished in his NBA career. Just last season, the LA Lakers star surpassed Kareem-Abdul Jabbar for the NBA's all-time scoring record.
Skip Bayless criticized LeBron James for passing
During the final seconds of Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in May, all the Lakers needed to secure the win was to knock down their late free throws.
At the inbounds, LeBron James was in charge of passing the ball and he did by targeting Dennis Schroder. The Lakers guard knocked down both free throws to put the Lakers up by 5 points with 2.7 seconds remaining. The Warriors ended up losing the game with a score of 117-112.
However, Skip Bayless criticized James for his decision to pass the ball to Schroder instead of being available to be the one to make the late free throws:
"Funny: LeBron wanted no part of having to shoot those clinching free throws," Bayless said. "So he threw the ball in -- to Schroder, the Lakers' best clutch free throw shooter."
Interestingly, Bayless also mentioned that Schroder was the Lakers' best clutch free-throw shooter. It all the more makes sense why the team's best passer, LeBron James passed the ball to the Lakers' guard.