Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith have used incomparable attributes to disregard LeBron James as a GOAT
LeBron James has had a stellar career so far in the 21 seasons he has been in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has shown exemplary consistency on his way to setting records. All that has helped him cement himself as one of the greats. But time and again, analysts such as Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith have compared him to Michael Jordan on other attributes to disregard his GOAT claim.
Recently, the panel of Gil’s Arena were discussing the media’s hand in shaping the narratives surrounding athletes. Former player Kenyon Martin Sr. had this to say about the entire situation:
Us as athletes, we have a problem with Skip’s, the Stephen A’s. You’ve never laced them up. And you don’t know what it took for these guys to become who they are. Everything they do is critiqued in a negative light. You are f**king with this man’s legacy. You have no leg to stand on because you ain’t never done it.
Kenyon Martin Sr. said
Martin Sr. was critical of them specifically because the likes of Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith haven’t played any sport professionally. He thinks that itself discredits them.
Instead, Kenyon Martin Sr. wants them to admire the greatness the likes of LeBron James have shown throughout their careers as it takes a lot of hard work, sweat and sacrifice to enthrall fans for this long. He feels Bayless and Smith have nitpicked on everything James does in order to discredit him.
He feels those opinions are invalidating just because analysts have a generalized view on athletes. That is, one attribute which works for Michael Jordan may not work for LeBron James and vice e versa. So, to compare the two on an attribute which is favorable to one player is not logical.
Gilbert Arenas gives ‘airplane’ example to discredit Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith
After Kenyon Martin Sr. shared his view, host Gilbert Arenas decided to chime in. He took the example of an airplane, and the people involved with it, to add on to Martin Sr.’s take:
The pilot is the NBA player. The stewardess is the analyst who reports everything to the passengers (fans). The only problem with that is, we are in the same f**king cabin. When turbulence hits, they say ‘hey just calm down’, I know that. Imagine as a pilot, being judged by the stewardess on how we landed.
Gilbert Arenas said
He explained that analysts do not know what the NBA player is going through until they are informed by the said player. That is how much of a disconnect analysts have from the players.
Gilbert Arenas then brought the concept of clutch play—something analysts such as Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith have constantly used against LeBron James. He said that the analysts do not know the plays that the coach designs. Those plays do not necessarily have a particular highlight reel worthy shot.
Those highlight reel worthy clutch shots are not enough to judge a player. Those are great only as entertainment. But Arenas claimed that analysts use clutch shots to decide if a player deserves an MVP or not, whereas MVP goes to the most consistently great player.
