Lakers star LeBron James is losing the battle against Father Time after ‘hitting bottom’ in loss to the Clippers, claims Skip Bayless, while Shannon Sharpe insists 20 seasons of being an impact player ‘have taken their toll’
- LeBron James has endured a tough start to the the season with the Lakers (2-9)
- The 37-year-old limped off during the loss to the Clippers with a groin injuryÂ
- Shannon Sharpe argued that the star is starting to feel the toll of his 20th season
- Skip Bayless claimed James is losing the battle against Father Time on the court
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless claimed that LeBron James is losing the battle against Father Time as they insisted years of being an impact player have taken their toll.Â
LeBron and the Lakers have suffered a frustrating start to the season as they went 2-9 following a 114-101 defeat to local rivals the LA Clippers Wednesday night.Â
To pile on the misery further the 37-year-old limped off the court during the fourth quarter of the loss with a groin injury.Â
Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless claimed LeBron James is losing against Father Time
Despite insisting he would receive around-the-clock treatment to be able to play against the Kings Friday night, Sharpe and Bayless argued that many years in the NBA are starting to take their toll on the star.Â
Speaking on their Undisputed show Thursday, Sharpe said: ‘LeBron used to be a wave but now he’s a pebble in the ocean And if you didn’t see someone throw a pebble in the ocean, you wouldn’t even know because it doesn’t leave a ripple.Â
‘And looks at his numbers last night Skip, 30, eight and three. I’m like, “LeBron, you had 30?” I didn’t know it. I didn’t, I’m sorry. Â
‘He’s in Year 20 and no one looks the same as they did in Year 5, 8 or 10. LeBron’s a big man and an impact player, it’s taken its toll.’
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Bayless then referenced the latest Nike commercial featuring James which shows him battling Father Time, personified by actor Jason Momoa, on the court.Â
The sports commentator then added: ‘The painful irony is that art is imitating life is imitating art because what’s happening in the commercial is happening more and more on the court except LeBron isn’t winning at all. He’s losing to Jason Momoa on the court.Â
The two sports personalities claimed 20 seasons in the NBA have taken their toll on James
Bayless referenced the latest Nike commercial featuring James which shows him battling Father Time, personified by actor Jason Momoa (right), on the court
‘It felt like it hit bottom last night because of what you said. LeBron actually has a “good game”.’
James suffered a tear in his left groin during his first season with LA in 2018-29, which caused him to miss 17 straight games from late December to late January but he is hoping his current injury will not be as disastrous.Â
I didn’t do anything extraneous on the play,’ James said via ESPN, after he appeared to tweak something while posting up the Clippers’ Paul George.Â
‘Just when I landed, I felt a little spasm or strain in my groin. So immediately I had to come out after that on the next play down when I went to the free throw line.’
The 37-year-old sustained a groin injury during the fourth quarter of the loss to the ClippersÂ
Team doctors will assess the star on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury and evaluate whether James will be able to play in Friday’s game.Â
The Lakers superstar still held out hope that he would be taking to the court against the Sacramento Kings.Â
‘I’ll go around [the clock] treatment for 24 hours, and if it’s OK on Friday, I’ll be in the lineup,’ he said.  Â
Darvin Ham said he told James to ‘do what you need to do, just take care of your body’
A potential absence Friday would be a huge blow for the Lakers with James leading the woeful team in minutes, points and assists but coach Darvin Ham said he had urged his player to ‘do what you need to do, just take care of your body.’
‘I mean it’s just a lot of adversity,’ Ham added. ‘[James] has been trying his heart out just to be there for us and play at a high level. I thought he had it going really, really well tonight.Â
‘But it just is something that it’s the NBA season, man. You got to be ready for a little bit of everything. We’ll see once he gets evaluated, and we’ll be ready to move forward.’Â
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