LeBron James took the responsibility of assembling a star-studded squad for Team USA with the explicit goal of reaffirming their global dominance in basketball. He fulfilled this commitment and exceeded expectations by ensuring the team entered the Paris Olympic Games with an unbeaten record.
In a remarkable display of leadership, the four-time MVP scored the game-winning layup against South Sudan, followed by outscoring the entire German team in the last five minutes of their last exhibition game. Despite James showing signs of his veteran bets form, Skip Bayless remained unimpressed as he labeled him as 'The King of Practice Games.'
Bayless continues to downplay LeBron's work
As the captain of Steve Kerr's team, the 39-year-old did all he could to give his team the confidence they required before entering the 2024 Olympic Games. Yet, Bayless maintained his characteristic stance of criticizing James' hard work.
Speaking on undisputed, the 72-year-old analyst diminished the significance of James' performance, asserting that no other player was approaching these games with the same level of seriousness as the Lakers forward.
"These are practice games; these don't count. These are exhibitions, these are what the internationals call friendlies. It's just practice, and I tweeted at the end of the game yesterday, LeBron James is the King of Practice Games," said Bayless . "Here we go again in the Olympics... So, my point is LeBron is taking it way-way more seriously to my eye than other players are taking it on either team."
Byaless extended his further criticism, stating that James' championship triumph in the Orlando bubble and winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament were primarily due to a lack of serious competition rather than Bron's merits. According to Skip, these achievements were only possible for the Akron native because no other player took it seriously.
Is Skip's take a bit too harsh?
Interestingly, while the Undisputed host is quick to dismiss the 20-time All-Star's efforts in exhibition games, there is no doubt that had Team USA come up short against either South Sudan or Germany, the criticism would have been intense. In such a case, the four-time Finals MVP would have been held responsible because he is the team captain and orchestrated the concept of assembling a super team.
It is nothing new to observe a prominent sports analyst consistently undermining LeBron's long-standing efforts and achievements, perpetually finding negative aspects in otherwise extraordinary performances. Nevertheless, this approach appears to be characteristic of Bayless' analytical style.
Related: “They've never played together" - Josh Giddey likes Australia's chances in a possible matchup against Team USA
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