Skip Bayless Sparks Controversy on NBA Twitter

In a single tweet, Skip Bayless managed to generate a storm of backlash on NBA Twitter.

During the opening moments of NBA Finals Game 7 between the Pacers and Thunder, sports analysts chimed in with what many are calling an egregious take regarding Tyrese Halliburton.

Bayless claimed, “The Pacers have taken a lot of game pressure from no-show Halliburton on a daily basis by planting ‘injury excuses’ that the media swallowed whole,” and posted this just as the first quarter was underway.

Only minutes later, Halliburton, who had already scored three early three-pointers, went down with what was later diagnosed as an Achilles injury.

Earlier in the series, Halliburton had suffered a calf issue in Game 5, yet he played in Game 6 and started Game 7. It raised questions for some when Bayless theorized that the Pacers might have “planted” the calf injury to lessen the pressure on Halliburton from the outside world.

This tweet did not sit well with fans. One user remarked, “It’s really one of the worst tweets. My goodness,” a sentiment that received significant support, including around 16,000 likes.

Another fan critiqued him, stating, “You could be the worst person in the sports world who had a platform.”

Despite the uproar, Bayless chose not to delete his original post. Instead, he later shared more empathetic messages regarding Halliburton’s condition, expressing concern for the player. He noted, “Okay, it looks like Halliburton is hurting right now. I hope it’s not too bad,” and later commented on the nature of the injury, linking it to a past incident involving Kevin Durant.

In the second half of the game, he wrote, “I hate this for Tyrese Halliburton. Achilles, I’m suspicious. A similar injury Kevin Durant struggled with in the finals, but he was out for a month (9 games) pulling the calf.”

In another follow-up tweet, he acknowledged, “Even Thunder fans, the last thing I wanted to see was that Halliburton gets injured. It’s the last thing.” Given his background as a fan from Oklahoma City, this sentiment felt particularly ironic.

The Thunder ultimately secured their first title with a 103-91 win over the Pacers, who were without Halliburton.

Bayless, at 73 years old, is known for his colorful career; he was one of the original members of ESPN’s “First Take” and later appeared on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” alongside Shannon Sharpe.

As for Halliburton, the timeline for his recovery from an Achilles injury remains uncertain. Typically, athletes need 8 to 10 months to fully recuperate from such injuries.