Skip Bayless has a surprise reaction to LeBron James amid retirement fears around the Lakers star

James turns 40 in a little over two weeks

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After Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick confirmed that LeBron James was taking an excused leave of absence from basketball activities, speculation about James‘ future with the franchise and in the NBA began to spread like wildfire around the internet. James, who turns 40 years old on Dec. 30, is a four-time NBA champion and the league’s all-time leading point scorer — and he welcomed his son Bronny into the Association this year, the duo making history as the first father-son pair to share the court together.

Former ESPN and FOX Sports pundit Skip Bayless has sounded off on the talk surrounding James, whose Lakers play Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves amidst a 50-plus game sprint for the playoffs. With a 13-11 win-loss record, the Lakers sit eighth in the cutthroat Western Conference as they try to get healthy by the turn of the year.

“No drama here,” says Skip

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In contrast to his normal fiery takes, Bayless has been comparatively measured when analyzing the situation facing James and the Lakers. In a moment of relative compassion on X/Twitter, Bayless calmly broke it all down: LA‘s defense of the NBA Cup is over, the Lakers have a light schedule as a result, and the 39-year-old has enough gravitas and standing within the game to take a few days off.

LeBron needed a break and he took one amid a light schedule, ahead of his 40th birthday. No Cup craziness this year. Lakers need this man relatively fresh for the postseason.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 11, 2024

While LeBron is considered unlikely to retire after the 2024/25 season, there is at least a slight possibility that he could continue his career in another locale, seeing as the Lakers don’t really have the look of a team ready to win a title. James has never been traded since he entered the NBA in 2003, but if the Lakers do not vault into championship contention in the springtime, The King could ask for a trade that would undoubtedly shake up the NBA and beat back retirement talk for a little while longer.

Bronny James would likely be included in any deal involving LeBron James, per @AnthonyIrwinLA

“Sources close to the Lakers did say that, if James asked the Lakers to trade him, they would work with him to find a deal that lands him where he'd rather be, but also brings back the…

pic.twitter.com/hvfomOsHKr

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 10, 2024