LOS ANGELES — Skip Bayless credited Michael Jordan with forcing LeBron James to miss a free throw Tuesday, arguing that the six-time NBA champion continues to influence games more than two decades after his retirement.
James, now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, missed the fictional free throw during an otherwise unremarkable sequence that Bayless immediately identified as another decisive victory in the greatest-of-all-time debate.
"THAT is the difference between Michael Jeffrey Jordan and LeBron James," Bayless declared during an entirely fictional broadcast. "Michael didn't even have to be in the building. LeBron STILL felt his presence."
Jordan, 63, was reportedly at home and completely unaware that he had just recorded another defensive stop.
Bayless spent the next 17 minutes explaining how Jordan's legendary competitive mentality had traveled through time, entered James' subconscious, and slightly altered the trajectory of a basketball.
ESPN's analytics department declined to classify the miss as a Jordan defensive possession, citing several technical complications, including the fact that Jordan retired in 2003.
Bayless rejected the explanation.
"Michael would NEVER have allowed LeBron to make that free throw," he insisted. "That's championship DNA."
When informed that Jordan missed thousands of free throws during his own career, Bayless clarified that those misses were strategic decisions designed to build character.
The NBA is reportedly reviewing whether retired players can receive defensive win shares for psychological pressure exerted from their living rooms.
James declined to comment, having apparently moved on to the next possession.
Bayless, meanwhile, has already credited Jordan with three missed layups, a traveling violation, and Philadelphia's malfunctioning shot clock.
**Michael Jordan hasn't played basketball in 23 years. According to Skip Bayless, he's still locking up LeBron.**
