Skip Bayless has never missed a chance to criticize LeBron James, but in a surprising twist, his latest tirade also targets NFL icon Tom Brady.
On the latest episode of The Skip Bayless Show, the veteran sports commentator turned his fury toward Brady for what he considers a shameless attempt to maintain a post-football brand by aligning himself with “The King.”
Skip Bayless Slams Tom Brady for Praising LeBron James at Fanatics Fest
Bayless zeroed in on Brady’s recent appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York City, where the retired quarterback sat next to James and publicly praised him. “So you’re witnessing the greatest ever, and I hope you guys appreciate that,” Brady said to the crowd, referring to James. That comment, in Bayless’s view, crossed a line.
“And yeah, I know that over the weekend Tom Brady called LeBron James the greatest ever… What a sellout Tom Brady has become post-football off the field,” Bayless declared, acknowledging Brady’s legendary on-field achievements but painting a far less flattering picture of his off-field persona.
Bayless didn’t stop there. He ridiculed Brady’s praise of LeBron as a calculated business move. “When it comes to maximizing his money, Tom Brady will say and do whatever is required to polish his good guy image,” Bayless remarked, implying that the former quarterback prioritizes building business alliances over maintaining personal authenticity. Bayless suggested Brady’s flattery stemmed more from financial strategy than genuine admiration.
“He even kissed LeBron’s a** in front of LeBron because he knows how many billions of followers, how many fans LeBron has, and what a powerful financial alliance he could form with the king post-football,” Bayless claimed. Here’s what Brady said: “He’s always done things the right way. He’s always risen above the noise and the BS and continued to deliver. So you’re witnessing the greatest ever, and I hope you guys appreciate that.”
Immediately after blasting Brady’s apparent ͏pandering, Bayless ͏pivoted to ͏plug his ͏own sponsor: “By ͏the way,͏ you’re watching or listening to͏ the͏ Skip Bayless Show brought to ͏you by ͏FanDuel, America’s No. 1 sportsbook, and͏ I hope ͏you appreciate that.” The moment ͏laid bare the contradiction at the core of his critique.
Throughout the episode, Bayless painted Brady as someone who has abandoned authenticity in favor of commercial gain. Meanwhile, he continued͏ his routine assault on LeBron, questioning his legacy, championship record, and even ͏his recent praise of Cooper Flagg.
But it was the attack on͏ Brady ͏that stood ͏out, ͏not just for its vehemence, but for what it revealed about Bayless’s own ͏need to ͏stay in the͏ spotlight.
In the end, Skip’s rant raised more questions about his motivations than Brady’s. ͏While he mocked ͏Brad͏y for͏ playing the game off the field, it’s ͏hard to ignore how much of͏ Skip͏’͏s own existence depends on playing͏ ͏the very same game, just with a louder mic.͏