Odds Against Skip Bayless Saying LeBron James Was Better Michael Jordan on Undisputed in the Next Year

• Skip Bayless, the media’s most outspoken LeBron James critic, is at long odds to claim LeBron is better than Michael Jordan on Undisputed this year
• James is aiming for a second title as a Laker – props are available on jersey retirement and a statue
• Read below for analysis of these betting options

Skip Bayless has made a career out of criticizing LeBron James. Bayless is an ardent Michael Jordan cheerleader, and will rarely praise James for any achievement, no matter how spectacular. His stance provides viral videos and frustrates James’ fans.

While rumors bounce around of James Harden trades and the basketball world analyzes the big swings taken by the Milwaukee Bucks, LeBron prepares for yet another title defense in 2020-21. James continues to mount a case as the NBA’s greatest ever, but there’s a sideshow to that pursuit: his status as a Laker. James has one title, one second-place MVP finish and a Finals MVP.

What does he have to do to join Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the pantheon of Lakers icons?

The odds below show, despite being NBA championship odds favorites in the upcoming season, James still has a long way to go to get his jersey retired and further still to warrant a statue.

LeBron James’ Legacy Props and Odds

Odds generated November 18

How Can LeBron Win Skip Over?

Nothing is impossible. LeBron James convincing Skip Bayless he’s a better player than Michael Jordan comes pretty close, though. What would it take for Skip to spin 180 and come out as a LeBron stan?

Perhaps the answer to that question is simply rings. Maybe, and it’s only a maybe, Skip changes his tone on LeBron if he surpasses Jordan’s tally of six rings. That, of course, cannot happen in 2020 or 2021, as specified in the prop. Even in that scenario, Bayless would probably still mention all the times James has lost in the Finals.

Skip saying LeBron is greater than Jordan is unimaginable. Would a unanimous MVP turn him over? Probably not. Would a 16-0 playoff run convince him LeBron is superior to Jordan? Again, it’s unlikely.

James is fighting a losing battle when it comes to winning over Skip Bayless – not that it’s a battle he’s bothered by. There are entrenched sides of the Jordan versus LeBron debate, it’s an impossible comparison of eras, of two figures who hit such heights they cannot be matched up fairly against players of their own time.

Lakers Icon

It’s not only the rivalry with Jordan that lingers as James wraps up his NBA career. His number is heading to the rafters in Cleveland and Miami – statues are, surely, inevitable. How he is remembered as a Laker is a more contentious point.

There are ten statues on Star Plaza. Five belong to former Lakers – Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West. If James is to join them, he has so much work to do.

One title is not enough for an organization with 17 NBA championships – James needs at least a couple more rings to throw himself into statue contention as he’s not going to have the longevity as a Laker of other greats. The four-time MVP must bring team success beyond the bubble title.

A Kobe Bryant statue will be on its way. LeBron could be the next player on the list, but it’s unlikely to happen before 2024.

It’s Lakers protocol to produce a statue when a former Laker makes the Hall of Fame. James is not going to be eligible for the Hall by then unless he shocks the league with a retirement this season.

Number retirement is perhaps a more realistic aim for James. O’Neal’s number is in the rafters after his three-peat despite how he left Los Angeles. Again, though, the condition of the number being retired by 2024 makes it trickier. It’s not guaranteed that LeBron will have retired by then – he needs to win at least one more title, too.