CJ McCollum Roasts Skip Bayless for Continued Hate on Kawhi Leonard
By Austin Pert
The Toronto Raptors earned a thrilling win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to move onto the NBA Finals, helped by Kawhi Leonard's 27 points and 17 rebounds.
But in spite of his heroics, Leonard is still dealing with criticism from the mouth of one of sports' most recognizable and loathed talking heads. '
Well, I guess it worked for No. 2 to quit on the Spurs last season complaining of what Spurs doctors decided was no more than a thigh bruise. He wound up in the East, playing against a hobbled, sick Embiid and an overrated Giannis. "Crime" pays.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 26, 2019
Understandably, that didn't sit well with a lot of people, and Skip was even called out by NBA star CJ McCollum.
Give it a rest skip. Get some sleep man. Klaw is a monster. Get that hate out your heart https://t.co/IcdJXs2jM4
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) May 26, 2019
Bayless is referencing the end of last year's season for the San Antonio Spurs, when Leonard's team faded down the stretch and were beaten in five games by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Leonard was cleared to play the the Spurs' medical staff, but sought a second opinion from his own doctors and decided against playing the remainder of the 2017-18 season.
Leonard then requested a trade this past offseason, landing in Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozen, and becoming a star for the league's Canadian franchise.
This isn't the first time that Bayless has been called out by players for his social media takes. When Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward suffered a season-ending injury on the league's opening night in 2017, the Undisputed co-host showed virtually zero remorse in his immediate reaction.
If Gordon Hayward is gone, maybe for the season, LeBron's path to losing a sixth finals gets even easier.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 18, 2017
Rudy Gay responded, calling Bayless a "heartless clown."
Really? You are a heartless Clown. Go paint your face! https://t.co/1HYNPwdw7T
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) October 18, 2017
As for Kawhi, let's hope he's well prepared for his biggest test yet: a date with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.