"That's the Grand Canyon of a gulf between LeBron and Michael" - Skip Bayless on what separates LeBron James and Michael Jordan in GOAT conversation
The debate on who is the greatest of all time between Michael Jordan and LeBron James appears to be endless. Fox Sports analyst and certified LeBron-hater Skip Bayless has revealed what separates "His Airness" from "The King" in the GOAT debate.
In the latest episode of "The Skip Bayless Show" podcast, the veteran commentator surprised his viewers by acknowledging that James is a great player. However, Bayless proceeded to explain why Jordan is far ahead of James in the greatest of all time conversation.
"Look, LeBron James is a great basketball player. We could go on all day and all night, is he top-5? Is he top-10? All I know for sure is that what drives me the craziest about the all-time great LeBron James, is that he is a lousy free-throw shooter, and I cannot comprehend why," Bayless said.
"Michael wasn't the greatest free-throw shooter, but he was 83.5%, so he was 10 percentage points more than LeBron. Do you know what that is? That's the Grand Canyon of a gulf between LeBron and Michael," Bayless added.
With James in his 19th NBA season, it's perhaps too late for him to improve his free throw percentage. If he did not improve in the last two decades, he's unlikely to get better at it anytime soon. However, James has been playing like an MVP this season, despite the LA Lakers struggling.
LeBron James lead LA Lakers to comeback win over Utah Jazz
On the day the LA Rams celebrated their Super Bowl win with a parade, LeBron James used it as an inspiration to help the LA Lakers beat the Utah Jazz at home on Wednesday. James scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to a 106-101 win.
The Lakers lost Anthony Davis to injury in the third quarter, and were down by 12 points in the final six minutes of the game. However, James carried the team on his back just like he has every single night this season. He ended the night with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Austin Reaves hit a dagger three-point shot with less than 20 seconds left, while Russell Westbrook sank two clutch free throws to seal the win. The bad news for the Lakers is that Davis suffered a right ankle sprain, and is expected to be out for at least four weeks.
Anthony Davis has a mid-foot sprain and will be evaluated again in four weeks, team says.
Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell bagged 37 points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals in the loss. It was a disappointing loss for the Jazz, as their six-game winning streak was snapped. With the team struggling in 2022, the Jazz enter the All-Star break with more questions than answers.