Skip Bayless conjures a way to discredit LeBron James as he becomes 2nd player to cross 38,000 points
LeBron James may be on the verge of history, but he is never safe from criticism. On the night that James entered another realm of greatness, Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless found a way to discredit the LA Lakers superstar yet again.
LeBron is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. The debate surrounding this issue has been heated, to say the least. However, given his longevity and consistency in performing for his team, James presents a pretty solid argument for himself.
In this regard, LeBron finds himself in great company already. Having surpassed several all-time greats and smashed records in the process of doing so, James continued his pursuit of stacking up accolades on Sunday.
In pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, James came out smoking in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Knocking down easy shots early on, he found himself knocking on the door that only Kareem had entered before.
Within moments, LeBron became the second player to reach 38,000 career points. This was unquestionably a significant moment, however LeBron was not free from criticism.
Fox Sports analyst and host of the popular talk show "Undisputed," Skip Bayless, had some observations to make of James on the night of his historic achievement.
Bayless has earned a bit of a reputation for criticizing superstars on a microscopic level. Known for pinpointing flaws and exaggerating shortcomings, Bayless struck once again on Sunday as he picked out details on James' performance this season.
He tweeted saying:
"Does anyone out there care that the same LeBron James who's on the doorstep of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer is last in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage?"
Does anyone out there care that the same LeBron James who's on the doorstep of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer is last in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage?
To be fair, what Bayless is saying isn't factually incorrect. James has been rather disappointing from beyond the arc. James has a disappointing 3-point percentage this season and has struggled in late-clock situations.
Even while considering his poor perimeter shooting, James continues to be a perpetual threat. Still threatening opposition defenses with his aggressive downhill drives, LeBron is an elite offensive force late into his career.
Read: Fans react as LeBron James becomes second player in NBA history to surpass 38,000 points: “Jorgamble never did this”
LeBron James inches closer towards Kareem's record
Every game LeBron James plays gets him closer to one of the most prestigious records in the NBA -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired from the NBA in 1989, he left behind a record that many thought would never be broken. The Hall of Famer finished his playing career with 38,387 points, making him the league's all-time leading scorer.
With 261 points needed to pass Abdul-Jabbar, it would take LeBron James nine games to become the NBA's scoring leader at his current rate of 29.6 points per game.
James did a solid job of settling into a rhythm on Sunday. After a rather poor shooting performance against the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron came out firing against Philly.
Read: Shannon Sharpe expounds on LeBron James' take on breaking scoring record: “No goliath, no mythological team, there’s none of them”
LeBron ended the night with 35 points in the bag. Unfortunately, the night was not one to celebrate.
As the LA Lakers came away with a heartbreaking loss against Philadelphia, the Purple and Gold fell deeper down the Western Conference leaderboard. Still playing with a superstar in Anthony Davis, the Lakers continue to be in a troublesome situation.