LeBron James is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight years. That much is confirmed. But how it went down? That’s where the real fight starts.
Skip Bayless, who has made a career out of going after LeBron, didn’t wait a second. As soon as the news broke that James would not return to LA, Bayless fired off tweets so hot they practically melted the app. His target wasn’t just James. It was Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent and longtime friend, and the whole way they handled the split.
Bayless unloads on how the breakup really happened
“No, Rich Paul did not ‘inform the Lakers’ that LeBron will play elsewhere next season,” Bayless wrote. “They had already made it clear to him he’d have to take very little money to play for the Lakers BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT HIM BACK. LUKA DOES NOT WANT HIM BACK. Lakers are now relieved.”
That’s a massive claim. The Lakers have not confirmed anything like that. Luka Doncic has said nothing publicly. But Bayless was just getting started.
“It sure looks like the most money LeBron can make will be the 15 mil that Golden State can pay him, which you assume he’ll take whether or not the Warriors can trade for AD.”
So Bayless is floating the idea of James joining Steph Curry in Golden State, with Anthony Davis possibly in the deal. That would be a nightmare for the rest of the Western Conference, but Bayless framed it as a last resort for a guy whose options are shrinking.
The three-point shot problem nobody wants to mention
Bayless wasn’t done. Less than two hours later, he posted again. This time, he took a statistical knife to James’s game.
“Wonder if those ’10 to 12 teams’ Rich Paul says are interested in LeBron are aware he shot 31.7% from 3 last season, which ranked 159th of 162 qualified,” Bayless asked.
He’s not wrong about the number. James shot 31.7 percent from deep last season. That put him near the bottom of qualified shooters. For context, the league average from three is about 35 percent. James has only beaten that mark in 11 of his 23 seasons. His career average sits at 34.8 percent, just under that line.
But here’s the thing. If any team is signing LeBron James to stand in the corner and catch-and-shoot, they’re missing the point. He’s 40 years old, sure. But he can still control a game without taking a three. He’s still a freight train in transition, still a brilliant passer, still capable of willing a team to wins in the playoffs.
Bayless knows that. He just doesn’t care. He’s not interested in nuance. He’s interested in the reaction. And he got one.
The question now is simple. Which team in that supposed 10-to-12 team pool is actually serious? And are they ready for everything that comes with LeBron James? The scoring, the playmaking, the gravity, the circus. Because it’s never just basketball with him. It’s never just been the game.
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