VIDEO: Skip Bayless Actually Had a Pro-LeBron James Take in Relation to Michael Jordan Back in 2017
By Nick Porr
Someone check to see if pigs are flying! Skip Bayless has actually said some nice things about LeBron James. The FOX Sports commentator is one of LeBron's biggest critics, especially when it comes to GOAT comparisons with Michael Jordan, but in a recently re-discovered clip from 2017, ol' Skip really did have kind words for LBJ. This really happened.
A rare moment of LeBron objectivity pic.twitter.com/tTuj6I7TTh
— A.P. (@Vitricate) May 15, 2020
Bayless absolutely hit the nail on the head with this particular praise. 2017 LeBron James was playing at a level the NBA had rarely ever seen before. In the NBA Playoffs with the Cavaliers, the King averaged an insane 32.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. Those are all-around numbers even Michael Jordan tended not to reach.
Behind James' play, the Cleveland Cavaliers went on an absolute rampage, losing only one playoff game before falling 4-1 to the super-powered Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. LeBron was so stellar on an individual basis that even Bayless couldn't ignore it.
Skip also speaks with surprising candor when discussing LeBron James' off-the-court persona. There's no denying that LeBron is an ideal role model for youth. His efforts to give back to his community are impeccable, most notably the I PROMISE School, which he opened in 2018.
"It's probably the best thing I've ever done."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 13, 2020
— @KingJames on partnering with Kent State University to offer four years tuition to qualifying students from his I Promise School pic.twitter.com/QyHZbB1uwp
LeBron has become a role model for kids in his home city of Akron, Ohio, as well as for young fans across the world. Seeing Skip Bayless step back from constantly critiquing his on-court play is a welcome change of pace, and is something he should be doing a lot more often.