On Tuesday night, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reached a new career milestone when he surpassed 39,000 career points in a 131-99 blowout win over the Utah Jazz.
In the win, he was able to kick back, playing just 24 minutes and scoring 17 points while going 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Despite his limited minutes, he also found the time to dish off nine assists and take down seven rebounds.
At age 38 and with his 39th birthday just over a month away, James is playing as if he hasn’t even reached his 30th birthday yet. Including Tuesday’s game, he’s averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game on the season. In addition, he’s shooting a red-hot 58.7% overall and 41.0% from downtown.
Polarizing Fox Sports 1 personality Skip Bayless, who has been branded as a James hater, took to X, formally known as Twitter, to congratulate the superstar for surpassing 39,000 points while acknowledging his insane longevity.
Congrats to LeBron for passing 39,000 points. Now that's longevity.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 22, 2023
That isn’t a typo or a doctored tweet or image of any kind. Yes, Bayless actually gave James his flowers, and believe it or not, he has done so on several other occasions in the past.
However...
A big part of Bayless’ following is the narratives he sticks to regarding certain athletes. In James’ case, he feels the four-time MVP is overhyped by certain people and has certain flaws in his game.
The journalist couldn’t help but wonder if James’ most ardent fans may make a dubious claim within the next few weeks if the Lakers win the first-ever in-season tournament.
Please don't tell me the Blind Witnesses are going to make the case that if the Lakers win the new "in-season tournament," it will count as LeBron's fifth ring. They've won their group at 3-0 and will have a home quarterfinal.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 22, 2023
He also publicly wondered how many more points James would’ve scored if he were an outstanding free throw shooter, which some may interpret as throwing shade at him.
Imagine how many points LeBron would've scored by now if he were a great free-throw shooter.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 22, 2023
Bayless does have a point about James’ free throw shooting. For his career, the forward has made 73.5% of his foul shots, and despite his incredible shooting efficiency this season, he’s at just 69.9% from the charity stripe so far this year.
