Sports pundit Skip Bayless is known as one of the more polarizing voices in American sports, and his disdain for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been known for years.
However, it appears as though Bayless has now changed his tune. Less than 24 hours after he came under serious fire for a series of tweets following the terrifying collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, it appears that he is switching up his stance on the James debate.
Skip Bayless pulling out ALL the stops 😂. He got canceled so bad he said he’s a LeBron fan. pic.twitter.com/dBSYnWvVue
— Polo Kerber (@PoloKerber) January 3, 2023
Bayless found himself under fire for a series of tweets regarding the Hamlin situation as well as the game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals itself.
Not exactly sure what happened to Damar Hamlin. Players on both teams are shaken. Ambulance out on the field. CPR administered. Can't remember play being stopped for this length of time. Just said a prayer for him and his family.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 3, 2023
I've seen so many horrific injuries suffered on football fields yet never have I seen a reaction like this. In every other situation I witnessed or covered, the game always went on fairly quickly. The attitude was, "Hey, that's football." For these players, this was DIFFERENT.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 3, 2023
No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 3, 2023
Nothing is more important than that young man's health. That was the point of my last tweet. I'm sorry if that was misunderstood but his health is all that matters. Again, everything else is irrelevant. I prayed for him & will continue to.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 3, 2023
The firestorm primarily spurned from the third tweet he sent out, with many attacking Bayless for thinking of the game itself. Tensions were certainly high in the minutes and hours following Hamlin’s collapse, and that surely contributed to the angry responses to Bayless.
Since then, some have expressed the belief that what Bayless said was not all that insensitive. After all, his tweets do clearly put concern for Hamlin’s health and safety first.
With all that in mind, it does not seem likely that many will forgive Bayless anytime soon, no matter what he says about his previous tweets or about James.
When it comes to James himself, there are a lot of reasons to be complimenting the four-time MVP at the moment. In his eight most recent appearances, he has been on a tear.
He’s averaging 35.1 points, 7.4 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game during that stretch. He’s once again showing that he will not let Father Time win without putting forth an epic fight.
He turned 38 years old last month, and he is performing like someone who is still very much in the middle of his prime years. Throughout his career, James has changed what many people previously thought was possible on the basketball court. However, what he is currently doing at his age might be the most impressive.
Unfortunately, the reality is that despite his incredible performances, James and the Lakers are still struggling to win consistently. They’re 3-5 in their last eight games and 16-21 on the season.
