Skip Bayless's offensive Wembanyama rant crosses a line there's no coming back from

NBA fans have had the pleasure of watching greatness unfold before our eyes through Victor Wembanyama's maturation process. It's truly been a pleasure to behold. But every time a new superstar rises, a hate mob swarms to their contrarian battle stations. Skip Bayless spent the greater part of the last 20-plus years as the leader of the LeBron James hater horde, and now he's eyeing the Alien.

This shouldn't be too much of a surprise to anyone who's been following the sports scene for the past couple of decades. Bayless is like a wart. Annoying and frustratingly consistent in all the worst ways, as it goes away occasionally only to resurface later, unnecessarily reminding you it's still there. He established himself as LeBron James' premier hater, and now it's Wemby's turn.

However, this comment isn't just some offhand barb at the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. It's disrespectful to a franchise with a stellar reputation for being as classy and professional as they come. They cherish that rep.

Bayless took an unnecessary shot at San Antonio

This commentary is an attack on the integrity of the Spurs organization and the players who wear the uniform. It's completely out of line, and his accusations are unfounded. Everyone is so certain that Wembanyama gave an order to Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo to do something foul to the Thunder players as if he's a mafia crime lord.

If you look at the video closely, you can't actually tell what he's saying. It's definitely not "hard fouls," though.

Bayless has been around long enough to know better, and, quite frankly, so has Mike Tirico. He was one of the first to claim that's what was said by Wembanyama. It's irresponsible to put words in the players' mouths and build a narrative off of assumptions. What makes it more outrageous is the handwringing on behalf of the Thunder, of all teams, while ignoring obvious realities.

Bayless has this Spurs team messed up

San Antonio won the first game of the series in Oklahoma City. In fact, five of their 11 wins this playoffs have been on the road. The Spurs had the second-best record in the league away from home during the regular season. Calling them home front-runners is factually incorrect.

And if we were going to label either of these teams as "cheap-shotting fake tough guys," it would be the ones the entire NBA community has been railing against all year. Only one of these contenders' players has been caught in 4K intentionally stepping on feet and pulling hair. Maybe Bayless should just watch Lu Dort play footb—I mean, basketball. He should have a field day with him.

But we know that's not what this is about. A career forged by hating on LeBron James has run out of steam, and as he tries to hot-take his way back into relevancy, he's latched onto Victor Wembanyama. It's desperate; it's sad; it's pathetic.

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