LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season, recently became the first player in league history to exceed 40,000 career points.
However, Skip Bayless, known for his critical remarks about James, remains unimpressed.
On his show, Bayless described James as a below-average three-point shooter and a lousy free throw shooter, despite his achievements.
This criticism is not surprising, as Bayless has consistently found flaws with James throughout his career.
Skip Bayless is not impressed with LeBron James scoring 40,000 career points
“Think about how many points LeBron’s left on the table because he was a below average 3-pt shooter and a lousy free throw shooter.”
(Via @SkipBaylessShow) pic.twitter.com/XzdNdbbjgB
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 8, 2024
Bayless’ argument is interesting but can be applied to any player, making it seem like a straw man argument.
James currently holds a 73.5% free throw shooting percentage and a 34.7% three-point shooting percentage over his 21-year career.
It is likely that James will reach around 45,000 career points by the time he retires.
While Bayless’s harsh critiques are expected, his focus on James’s weaknesses rather than celebrating his remarkable feat of scoring 40,000 points is puzzling.
Bayless’s comments on his podcast have escalated the level of hate towards the four-time NBA champion, emphasizing his struggles with free throws and three-pointers.
LeBron James has often faced criticism regarding his three-point shooting and free throw shooting abilities.
His career three-point shooting percentage stands at 34.7%, ranking him 118th among current active players. Similarly, his free throw shooting percentage of 73.5% places him at 183rd.
Critics argue that these shortcomings have made his career more challenging.
They claim that if James had improved his free throw shooting to 89%, he could have achieved 40,000 career points much faster.
While these arguments may have some merit, it is worth noting that this season, James has made improvements in both areas.
“So astonished by 40,000 points… Think about how many points LeBron’s left on the table because he was a below-average 3-pt shooter & a lousy free-throw shooter.”
Skip Bayless didn't hold back on LeBron James' scoring record 😳
(via @SkipBaylessShow)pic.twitter.com/MBMLAIVwsc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 8, 2024
He currently boasts a three-point shooting percentage of 40.5% and a free throw shooting percentage of 74.1%.
This suggests that James is actively working to enhance his skills, contradicting the notion that he hasn’t put in the effort to improve.
Despite the scrutiny he faces, James continues to excel on the court and build an impressive legacy for himself.
Fans reacted as follows:
This is actually elite hating 💀
— TatumsWrld (@WrldOfTatum) March 8, 2024
Skip: pic.twitter.com/ByVG0198ro
— Daily Grind Fantasy Sports (@DGFantasy) March 8, 2024
Nobody cares ab skip he just uses bron name to stay relevant
— 23 💫👑 (@Br0nToLA23) March 8, 2024
Skip in 2024 pic.twitter.com/afvFlkDEcr
— ³⁰🌞 (@GameOnSteph_) March 8, 2024
Skip Bayless on just about anything pic.twitter.com/dNirryNiRg
— XSET Ewok (@Ewok) March 8, 2024
Crying this guy is really the biggest hater of all time
— ɪᴍ.ʀɪʟᴇʏ シ ✞ ☘️ (@CookedByRiley0) March 8, 2024
Think about how amazing you’d have to be at the other aspects of scoring to score that many points on great efficiency while creating almost all your own shots as a “below average 3pt shooter and lousy free throw shooter”
— GOAT James👑🐐 (@BronToAD) March 8, 2024
I mean is anyone surprised that he said that ? 😂😂😂
He’s the founding father of the LeBron haters fan club.
— Wolf 🐺 (@patientXwolf) March 8, 2024
We will never see hating like Skip towards LeBron again in our lifetimes
— Broad STweet 🔔🦅 (@Broad_STweet) March 8, 2024
his dedication to hating Lebron James is almost inspiring
— Makaveli ™️ (@selfmadepoet) March 9, 2024
It’s always better to shock people and change people’s expectations than to give them exactly what they think you can do.
— Mentari Wulandari (@ZayMouri) March 9, 2024
Skip when it comes to hating on Lebron pic.twitter.com/jtB5YGS3oO
— BasedJason✝️ (@BasedJasonC) March 8, 2024
Skip Bayless said pic.twitter.com/guZDjBgdr5
— Error (@ErrorPC_) March 8, 2024
Yeah, imagine if he was a perfect shooter! But hey, 40,000 points is still pretty insane. 🏀
— Ali_Haider (@AliHaider929) March 8, 2024
He’s a better 3pt shooter than both Kobe and mj and currently tied with steph Curry the greatest shooter of all time rn on the season for 3pt fg% sthu!
— Pointblank. (@mike3matthews) March 9, 2024
LeBron isn’t my GOAT, but this is an absolutely horrible take. Skip is the worst
— Mike (@thadyverz1) March 8, 2024
Hating level 1Million, bron could score 80,000 pts and skip would find a reason to hate lol
— AJ (@ATJ_23) March 8, 2024
Always gotta throw the negative. You should have just said congrats and kept it moving. You really anger me with this constant bashing. #oldhater
— Satin D. (@Smfh_86) March 8, 2024
dude is in the hater hall of fame, just legendary numbers
— Fishscale Gorilla (@Grizzly80s) March 8, 2024
Skip is aging backward he is such a hater … What have you done skip to help others who are in needs? LBJ is a billionaire and you might not have what he has in life
— John Lerry Fernandez (@simplyrasta21) March 9, 2024
