"He started trolling 21-year-old LeBron about Michael Jordan" - Jason Whitlock slams Skip Bayless for dragging LeBron James into 'polarizing' debate

Sports analyst Jason Whitlock doubled down on veteran sports media personality Skip Bayless for pulling LA Lakers star LeBron James into "polarizing" conversations.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Whitlock wrote that Bayless has scrutinized James since he was young. Whitlock also mentioned Stephen A. Smith, ESPN and sports podcast "Embrace Debate." He said that James was pushed towards an "angry victimhood path."

"Obviously I’m not a LeBron James homer. Here’s the deal: Skip Bayless, ESPN, Stephen A, and Embrace Debate put LeBron James on the defensive very early in his career. They stunted LeBron’s growth and sent him down the angry victimhood path."

Whitlock added that when Bayless compared 21-year-old James to six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan, it was a battle the Lakers star couldn't win. Whitlock also said that James is the only player who has received that "polarizing" debate. According to Whitlock, these debates have made James "angry and defensive."

"Skip started trolling 21-year-old LeBron about Michael Jordan. Skip put LeBron in a fight he could never win. No one else has faced that kind of polarizing discussion. 'You ain’t Jordan.' 'You ain’t Gretzsky.' 'You ain’t Ali.' Mike Tyson didn’t have to be Ali for his greatness to be recognized and fully celebrated."

"Debate sports TV undermined LeBron and put him on the defensive. Turned a happy-go-lucky kid angry and defensive. Facts are facts. This should be discussed, but it takes too much thought and won’t go viral."

In another recent episode of his podcast, Whitlock also said that sans Bayless' negative commentary on James, the four-time NBA champion, has a "likeable" personality. A clip of the sports analyst's comments was posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"If left alone, without Skip Bayless, LeBron is kind of fun-loving, likeable," Whitlock said.

Jason Whitlock says Skip Bayless made a career out of "pimping" LeBron James

On Tuesday, Jason Whitlock boldly stated that Skip Bayless made a career from the latter's continuous criticisms of LeBron James.

Whitlock added that Bayless deserves a "crash landing" amid his commentary. The analyst posted a clip of his podcast, "Fearless with Jason Whitlock," wherein he aired his remarks.

"Skip Bayless built a $50-60 million career pimping LeBron James. Skip deserved a crash landing," Whitlock tweeted.

In his 22-year career, James had received a fair share of scrutiny. But he has cemented a place in NBA history. James surpassed Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league's all-time leading scorer in February 2023. Abdul-Jabbar's record stood for 39 years.

James accomplished another historic feat on Tuesday, becoming the first player to achieve 50,000 combined career points in the regular season and the playoffs.