LeBron James as the GOAT?: The one flaw that holds him back
There is no denying the greatness of LeBron James.
He's an 18-time All-Star in 19 seasons (he missed out in his rookie season). He's a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time NBA Finals MVP. He's even the league's all-time scoring leader when you combine the regular season and playoffs.
But there are some who bristle when the star's name comes up in the "greatest of all-time" discussion. And those who push back point to what they consider to be one simple fatal flaw.
"Look, LeBron James is a great basketball player," Skip Bayless said. "We could go on all day and all night, is he top-5? Is he top-10? … All I know for sure is that what drives me the craziest about the all-time great LeBron James, is that he is a lousy free-throw shooter, and I cannot comprehend why."
Bayless addressed the issue in-depth in his podcast, "The Skip Bayless Show."
"It's called a free throw for a reason," Bayless said. "It's free and easy to make a free throw for one point, and then make another for two points, and maybe if you get fouled on a 3-point attempt as you did last Saturday night, you might just make one, two and three to force overtime. But you can't because you're a lousy free-throw shooter."
Bayless was talking about a moment on the night before the Super Bowl, when James was fouled on a 3-point attempt late in the game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers trailed by three at the time. James missed the first free throw, made the second, then had to miss the third on purpose. The Warriors won 117-115.
"It was painful to watch," Bayless said. "From my heart, I knew what was coming."
For Bayless, the free-throw shooting is a flaw that disqualifies James from the "GOAT" conversation, no matter what other qualities or accomplishments he might possess.
Bayless points out that James is a career 73.4% free-throw shooter, which does not compare favorably to other stars.
"The greatest player ever, Michael Jeffrey Jordan," Bayless said. "... Michael wasn't the greatest free-throw shooter, but he was 83.5%, so he was 10 percentage points more than LeBron. Do you know what that is? That's the Grand Canyon of a gulf between LeBron and Michael."
Bayless also pointed out that Magic Johnson was an 84.8% free-throw shooter, Larry Bird was 89%, Kevin Durant is at 88% and Stephen Curry is at 91%.
"For the life of me, I could never understand why LeBron won't commit just one offseason, now that we're in Year 19, to figuring out how to shoot at least 80% from the free-throw line," he said.
"It disqualifies LeBron for me from any 'GOAT' conversation. You're over and you're out. … Just once I'd like to see LeBron post a video of him out in the backyard with Bronny, practicing free throws." he said.
Bayless said that James is clearly aware of this flaw, and asserted that it leads to the star avoiding the line late in games, opting for high-difficulty long-range shots instead of relying on his strength — driving to the basket.
"He's the greatest driver of the basketball in the history of the game," Bayless said. "I've said it a thousand times on live national TV. He's still 6-9, must go 260 [pounds], he might be 270 now. He is unstoppable to the rim. Late-game situations. They can't defend him, they can only foul him. But you know what's going to happen, you're going to have to go there by yourself and stand 15 feet away with nobody helping you, nobody to pass to."
"LeBron was born without a clutch gene"
Bayless made it clear that he respects James as a great player. He just thinks he's capable of more, and he believes that that one simple flaw is holding him back.
"LeBron is a great basketball player who can't do the simplest thing in basketball — make free throws," he said. "And I'm saying it publicly, if you're watching LeBron, you're better than that.
You can watch the "The Skip Bayless Show" on YouTube or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.
