Skip Bayless Is Using Lionel Messi To Troll LeBron James

Skip Bayless is finding a way to troll LeBron James during the 2026 World Cup.

The former ESPN star, who has gone from Fox Sports 1 to podcasting, is using Lionel Messi's success in the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup to taunt the world's greatest basketball player.

Messi has gotten off to another great start at the World Cup. After leading Argentina to a World Cup title in 2022, he and his country are looking like contenders once again. Messi had a hat trick in Argentina's first game of the tournament.

Bayless is fed up with the LeBron comparisons to Lionel Messi.

"Commentator just ruined the moment by comparing Messi with Michael Jordan AND LEBRON. So naive. So wrong. So blasphemous. MJ, yes. LBJ ... NO," he wrote.

Sports fans seem to agree with Bayless

Sports fans, for this one at least, seem to be in agreement with Bayless.

"It's blasphemy to compare Messi to anyone if you ask me. Not even LeBron or MJ is close to my goat," one fan wrote.

"Genuine question: what would happen if one of these teams tried a box-and-1 style of defense on Messi (like they tried and failed with MJ)? Straight man-marking. These teams are already trained to know how to play down a man due to red cards," one fan added.

"You're not wrong," another added.

Others, meanwhile, seem to disagree.

"This guy and his obsession with LeBron. Gotta appreciate being a life long hater," one fan added.

"Come on, man," another fan added.

The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, meanwhile, will continue this week, as we approach the knockout round this weekend.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 10:00 PM.