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Shannon Sharpe Accuses LeBron James Of Failing The Lakers: “This Was Demoralising”

Published 04/23/2024, 1:35 AM EDT

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LeBron James is currently playing his 21 season. After delivering consistently during the regular season, the stakes are much higher now that they’re in the playoffs. The pressure to do well increased tenfold once the Denver Nuggets defeated them in Game 1 of their 6-game series. However, despite putting up an impressive total, LeBron’s one mishap in the final seconds cost them a win by barely two points. It caused one of his most famous critics to speak up again. Shannon Sharpe, on his ‘Nightcap’ podcast, expressed the Lakers had no one else to blame but themselves.

On his live stream, Sharpe criticized the three-pointer that LeBron took and missed when there were just 19 seconds left on the clock. His disappointment was evident, as he exclaimed, “Why would you shoot that shot?”. Along with that, the NFL legend felt that LeBron could have done a better job of keeping Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at bay.

“Look at what he did in the fourth quarter. Yeah, he hit those two 3s, but he got downhill,” said Sharpe. “That’s what he needed to do on KCP (Caldwell-Pope) in the third quarter. Keep attacking, make them foul you. Yeah, he blew a couple of layups but I don’t care about that. I’ve got to keep attacking, I’ve got to keep the pressure on.

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“This was demoralizing”, he said while addressing the subject with a low blow. LeBron James ended his night scoring 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. Despite D’Lo performing a bit better than the previous game and the Lakers holding a significant lead by the time the third quarter, the game soon started to slip away from their hands.

USA Today via Reuters

With just 19 seconds left in the game, both teams were tied 99-99. The ball was in LBJ’s possession. Onlookers at the Ball Arena in Colorado saw as LeBron allegedly pushed Caldwell-Pope aside, took his position, and made a shot from behind the arc. Unfortunately, the ball failed to go through the hoop and, worse of all, got into the Nuggets’ hands. The Lakers could only watch as Jamal Murray drove across the court, scored a two-pointer and the buzzer went off.

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Skip Bayless calls out LeBron James’ performance with his “Poor LeBron” statement

Shannon Sharpe was not the only individual who was critical of LeBron James’ performance during the recent game. After its conclusion, it didn’t take long for Undisputed’s Skip Bayless to take to his official X account and share his review. Bayless highlighted that the Lakers star did well during the 4 quarter with his “back-to-back 3s”, making some impressive drives and even delivering a memorable shot over Jamal Murray’s head.

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However, all of it didn’t matter to the host after LeBron missed that crucial three-pointer. “Poor LeBron,” said Bayless after recapping what happened during that crucial quarter. Skip Bayless is reportedly known to take an occasional stance against the four-time NBA champion.

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However, LeBron James need not pay heed, as he now prepares to upset a 2-0 deficit against the defending NBA Champions.

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Written by:

Ashmit Kumar

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Ashmit is an NBA Content Analyst at EssentiallySports. Having started as a writer, he specializes in writing captivating stories that include the elements of in-depth coverage of teams, players and more. Due to his knowledge of the technicalities of the sport, Ashmit writes perspective pieces that provide well-researched analysis.
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Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz