National Basketball Association

James or Brady: Which legend is better at defeating Father Time?

Published Jul. 29, 2022 8:19 a.m. ET

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady are each playing their respective sports at an elite level and at an older age.

But whose success is more impressive?

Skip Bayless answered that exact question this week on "The Skip Bayless Show," giving the edge to Brady and asserting that there were flaws in James' statistical success from last season.

"LeBron, last season, ranked 15th in the NBA in three-point attempts," Bayless said. "That's a lot. He finished 93rd in 3-point shooting by percentage. OK, let's try to compute: 15th most attempts but 93rd in percentage — that's way too many 3-point misses. That's team crushing, as was what happened at the free-throw line. LeBron also finished 15th in the NBA in free-throw attempts, yet free-throw shooting percentage-wise, he ranked 86th in the league.

"LeBron, you left way too many points on the table for your team's sake."

Bayless: LeBron isn't beating Father Time like Brady is

Skip Bayless responds to a listener's question about whether LeBron James' longevity is as impressive as Tom Brady's.

James, 37, finished the 2021-22 NBA season averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists, with a shooting line of 52.4/35.9/75.6. With that said, the Lakers went 33-49 and missed the Western Conference playoffs altogether.

James is entering his fifth season with the Lakers, who fired head coach Frank Vogel in favor of Darvin Ham after the regular season.

Bayless sees Brady's success late in games last season as a pivotal factor in the quarterback's favor.

"Last season, Tom Brady tied his career-high with five game-winning drives," Bayless said. "Talk about closing. That's the closer — the ultimate closer. Only a blitz bust in a broken coverage cost Brady's team that playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams.

"In that game, Tom Brady scored 24 unanswered points to tie the score at 27-all. And then came the bust and then came Matt Stafford to Cooper Kupp and then came the field goal that beat them."

Brady, 44, finished the 2021 NFL season with 5,316 passing yards, 43 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 102.1 quarterback rating, completing 67.5% of his passes. The Buccaneers won the NFC South at 13-4 but lost to the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.

Brady is entering his third season with the Buccaneers, who are now led by head coach Todd Bowles after Bruce Arians' retirement.

"In the end, LeBron is beating Father Time down at one level while Tom Brady, as he now is about to turn 45 on Aug. 3, is defeating Father Time at a much higher level," Bayless concluded.