Skip Bayless makes stunning LeBron James-Jack Nicholson parallel in rare praise for Lakers star: "Most interesting man in history of sports"

LeBron James has recently found himself being mentioned in MVP discussions. Despite being a heavy betting underdog to win the award on FanDuel, the NBA community has noticed his stellar play on both ends of the court.

On the latest episode of his Skip Bayless Show, longtime sports TV personality Skip Bayless weighed in on James with a backhanded compliment. On Tuesday's installment, Bayless called LeBron not only the most interesting player in the NBA, but the most interesting man in all of pro sports.

He then changes course, referring to LeBron making headlines for things off the court, like his recent media scrum where he spoke about Anthony Edwards.

At the time, James told members of the press that he understood why Edwards didn't want to be the face of the league, citing the negative press from those who cover the NBA.

His comments sparked further discussions about NBA coverage, with Stephen A. Smith and the First Take Crew weighing in the following morning.

Additionally, Bayless' comments earned LeBron the title of the most interesting man in sports, comparing him to Jack Nicholson.

"I always call LeBron James the most interesting man in sports. ... Today I'll take it a step further, he's the most interesting man in the history of sports. ... If NBA games are just the unscripted version of movies, unstaged reality shows then LeBron James is one of the greatest entertainers ever.

"I'm talking about up there with Denzel, Brando and Jack Nicholson."

You can see his comments below, beginning moments into the video.

Robert Horry makes LeBron James' case for MVP, arguing that if he got the same whistle as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there would be no question

LeBron James' comments about Anthony Edwards having no desire to become the face of the NBA sparked even further discussions about the way the media covers the NBA.

As Chiney Ogwumike mentioned on First Take the morning after James' comments, his point was validated by the extensive coverage they received. In contrast, she said that the panel hadn't spoken much about Steph Curry's 50-point game as much.

Similarly, James has been quietly putting together a strong MVP case, with numbers near-identical to his last MVP season in Miami. LA veteran Robert Horry believes that if James were getting the same kind of calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he would be the clear-cut favorite to be the MVP.

During LA's showdown with Denver this week, he stated on the broadcast:

"If Lebron James got the same calls as SGA, he would be averaging 30+ points a game and it'd be no question who's MVP because he's so much better, physically and stronger. League, you'd make a vital mistake if you give that to someone other than him as of right now."

On FanDuel, James is currently tied for fourth in the MVP race with Jayson Tatum, just behind Giannis Antetokounmpo in third, Nikola Jokic in second and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in first.