Bayless’ scathing critique on LeBron’s Lakers lack heart and defense, invokes Michael Jordan comparison after Bulls loss. Read more

After a 124-108 defeat to the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were subject to harsh criticism, but none more so than that from pundit Skip Bayliss.

Bayliss has heavily criticized the team for their reaction to the in-season tournament and did not hold back after this loss

“LeBron got off to a hot front-running, hot-dogging start and even tried to throw it to himself off the backboard and dunk it. That failed,” he posted on X.

“That seemed to inspire the home team. Now it’s 19-12 Bulls … without Zach LaVine

What a lifeless, heartless defensive effort by LeBron's Lakers in Chicago, losing 124-108, allowing 18 threes to a not-very-good shooting team. Somewhere, Michael Jordan is rolling his eyes, if not chuckling.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 21, 2023

“What a lifeless, heartless defensive effort by LeBron’s Lakers in Chicago, losing 124-108, allowing 18 threes to a not-very-good shooting team.

“Somewhere, Michael Jordan is rolling his eyes, if not chuckling.

“LeBron’s Lakers are now 1-4 since winning their ‘championship.’

“Now they go to Minnesota and OKC, the teams with the West’s two best records. Congrats, King. Raise that banner.”

“Michael Jeffrey Jordan would have said to the Chicago Bulls: ‘Over my dead body, will you raise a banner for an In-Season Tournament.’ The Lakers are going to raise a banner,” Bayless said during “The Skip Bayless Show” on Dec. 15. “I don’t like it.

“I appreciated that LeBron rallied his troops, kept them together, and led them to win games that other teams weren’t that serious about early on in the group play.”

Two of those losses have come against some of the league’s worst teams, the Spurs and Bulls, and a loss to Jordan’s former team wasn’t going to get by Bayless.

Ja Morant reacts to LeBron James’ show of support

The NBA community rallied around Ja Morant, who made a stylish comeback to the Memphis Grizzlies following an unprecedented 25-game suspension.

The league was compelled to enforce this suspension when Morant displayed a firearm on social media.

Irrespective of his record-breaking suspension, Morant made a remarkable return, delivering 34 points and hitting the game-winning shot. His reappearance sparked commentary from numerous NBA stars.

LeBron James, Draymond Green, Tyrese Maxey and the rest of the NBA community react to Ja Morant's game-winner in his first game back from a 25-game suspension 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2lagSlia0D

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 20, 2023

Compiling various tweets, Morant shared a compilation on his page with the simple caption “Love is love,” mirroring the positive sentiments he received.

This was certainly an apt message, considering his suspension stemmed from behavioral issues.

Morant put forth a display of his superior playmaking abilities, serving notice to LeBron James and the entire league.

James responded with a succinct tweet: “12!!!! That’s all.”

If Morant can maintain his impressive performance levels without any more off-court issues, he is poised to become one of the league’s biggest success stories.

Morant was among the most thrill-inducing young talents before his career was sidetracked due to his social media conduct.