Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless recently wondered why Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wasn’t at his former teammate Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony this past weekend.
Wade and James played together on the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, winning two NBA titles together in Miami. The two are close friends, but Bayless questioned why the Lakers star wasn’t there to support Wade.
I have no idea why LeBron James was not at Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony or his afterparty. I thought they were big brother, little brother close.pic.twitter.com/9r01xdU0hS
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 18, 2023
“I have no idea why LeBron James was not at Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony or his after-party,” Bayless said. “… I am 99.9 percent sure LeBron was not there, and that shocked me. I found that extremely odd. I thought LeBron and D-Wade were extremely close.”
While Bayless didn’t offer much insight as to why James may not have been there, he did go on to list several important people from Wade’s career that did come to the ceremony.
“CP3 (Chris Paul) was there on Saturday,” Bayless said. “Melo (Carmelo Anthony) was there on Saturday. Chris Bosh was there. Pat Riley was there. Everybody was there, except for LeBron. Did anybody out there find that weird or bizarre or crazy the way I did? Why wasn’t more made out of this? Oh yeah, that’s right — LeBron James is the most protected athlete in the history of sports. So I guess — gotta sweep that under the carpet and move along. Nothing to see here, except for me.”
Bayless’ rant comes off as an attack on James, and he seemed to forget that the four-time champion may have had some more important family things to deal with.
After all, James’ eldest son Bronny recently suffered a cardiac arrest during a University of Southern California practice. It’s quite possible the Lakers star wanted to be at home with his son to make sure he is doing well rather than across the country.
It’s also quite possible that the elder James and Wade discussed the fact that the elder James wouldn’t be at the ceremony.
It seems like Bayless is trying to create something out of nothing with his statements.
The elder James and Wade led one of the greatest eras in Heat history, guiding the franchise to four straight NBA Finals appearances when they teamed up together with Bosh. Those accomplishments certainly helped Wade become a lock for the Hall of Fame.
While Bayless seems to be trying to stir up drama between the former teammates, it doesn’t seem to be any cause of concern at the moment as the elder James spends time with his family and prepares for the 2023-24 season.
