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Skip Bayless Somewhat Shows LeBron James Love On NBA's All-Time Top 10
Unknown date; Los Angeles,USA: FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Ervin Johnson (32) in action against the Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23) at The Forum. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons- Imagn Images Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Media personality Skip Bayless has made a living off criticizing LeBron James over the years. It's rare for him to drop any positivity toward James but he somehow found a way to do it recently. Bayless updated his Top 10 NBA players list of all-time.

James was the only current player on the list. He checked in at No. 9 but even that came with a slight.

"I gotta be honest with you," Bayless said. "I seriously thought about demoting LeBron from where I've long had him at ninth because of his 28-25 playoff record as a Laker and his 2-12 record in his last three epic fail playoff series."

Skip's updated NBA Top 10 players of all time

Posted by The Skip Bayless Show on Friday, July 11, 2025

James was the only player Bayless threw shade at while supposedly offering praise. All of the other players on the list were drafted in 1997 or earlier. As expected, topping the list was Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. It appears Bayless may never remove Jordan from this post in his lifetime.

Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson checked in at No. 2. Bayless surprisingly chose Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal at No. 3, ahead former scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Another bold pick was choosing San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan at No. 5. He was placed ahead of Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, followed by Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, James and Wilt Chamberlain.

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This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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