“LeBron James is a billionaire, Tim Duncan took $10M”: Skip Bayless throws shade on the King’s 2-years $97.1M extension
Veteran NBA analyst Skip Bayless calls out LeBron James over his reported extension with the Lakers, citing Tim Duncan’s case.
Lakers Nation can finally rejoice as positive reports indicate that LeBron James has agreed to an extension with GM Rob Pelinka as he enters the final year of his contract. According to reports, the four-time champion will be signing a 2-years $97.1M deal with the iconic franchise.
King James is coming off a milestone year despite his team having a lackluster outing in the 2021-22 season. In his 19th season, the Lakers superstar finished off as one of the top 3 scorers in the league, averaging 30.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 6.2 APG, shooting 52.4% from the field.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to secure the Lakers a play-in spot, who were 16-games below +500 at the end of the season. None of the off-season moves paid dividends, whether it was the signing of Russell Westbrook or assembling a veteran roster. Anthony Davis’ constant injuries only added to their woes.
It is only a matter of time before James and the Lakers make the extension official. However, this didn’t stop Skip Bayless from his LBJ bashing, calling out the four-time Finals MVP for not taking a pay cut, given his team’s limited cap space. The Fox Sports analyst cited Tim Duncan’s sacrifice to win more championships.
Skip Bayless makes an uncanny comparison between LeBron James and Tim Duncan.
An avid critic of James since his high school days, Skip has made a fortune from criticizing the former Cavaliers superstar regularly. His popular show Undisputed has the King as one of the staple topics of debate. Thus the analyst’s recent take on the Lakers superstar’s contract is no surprise.
There are no two ways about the fact that James deserves every penny he gets. Nonetheless, Bayless forces one to think if the eighteen-time All-Star can take a cut, especially with the front office struggling to sign Kyrie Irving and Westbrook opting in for the final year of his contract estimated to be $47M.
Bayless would continue throwing shots at James, citing Duncan’s case of taking $10M in 2013-14. Ironically, LBJ and The Big Fundamental faced each other in back-to-back Finals in 2013-14, with the result being 1-1.
Keeping Bayless’ bias aside, he does make a valid point, given the King’s closing championship window as he enters his 20th season.
