Gilbert Arenas Hiring Skip Bayless for New Show Has Fans Going Wild: “Back to Back LeBron Haters”

Skip Bayless was last believed to want to have a showdown with Gilbert Arenas about LeBron James' legacy.

Gilbert Arenas Hiring Skip Bayless for New Show Has Fans Going Wild: “Back to Back LeBron Haters”

Gilbert Arenas recruits Skip Bayless for new show (Image via FirstSportz)

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Longtime analyst Skip Bayless has not been at the forefront of sports coverage ever since he parted ways with FS1. The 73-year-old has resorted to his namesake podcast, but the reach has not been that great. Maybe Gilbert Arenas has an answer to his problems.

The two have gone back and forth over the past few months. The former is a known LeBron James critic, and the latter, a supporter of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

They wanted to set a date for a showdown at Gil’s Arena, but it has yet to take place. Instead, it seems the two will work together on a different project.

The 3-time All-Star posted a clip of what looks like rehearsals for an unnamed upcoming show under the Gil’s Arena Factory banner. The clip shows former NFL star Aqib Talib, Bayless, and Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball head coach Bill Self discussing NFL quarterbacks.

Since Arenas calls it a rehearsal, it seems they are going through their motions before the NFL season starts next month. However, the clip also shows the NBA and WNBA logos along with an Adidas one on the floor.

This means it could be an all-sports program designed to not just talk about one specific sport like Gil’s Arena does. That show is focused on basketball, and so are the guests.

In this format, the former Washington Wizards star has brought in a famed NFL star, a famed basketball coach, as well as one of the premier debaters in all sports media.

It is unclear when this show will go live, but since the WNBA is one of the sports they will discuss, in all likelihood, this show will start anytime soon.

Fans stunned as Gilbert Arenas hires Skip Bayless

Sports fans were stunned when Gilbert Arenas shared this clip. For starters, they could not believe he managed to recruit Skip Bayless of all people.

His time at Undisputed did not end the way he would have liked, but the former Warriors star might have the perfect co-panelists to bring the best out of the former Undisputed star.

Fans were also shocked about this hiring since the last time Bayless and Arenas were squabbling, it felt as if they would go at each other’s throats the moment they appeared on a show. Some fans praised this hiring, as they felt it was a smart business move from Agent 0.

On the other hand, some were skeptical as this show could allow Bayless to resume his criticisms of LeBron James and his son, Bronny. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Gilbert Arenas might have been savvy enough to know that bringing Skip Bayless to his production company might be the best way to kickstart a new chapter.

If his company is to grow, they have to think outside the box. Their current show, Gil’s Arena, seems to have stagnated in terms of growth. Therefore, this could be the way he adds revenue while not trying cheap tricks to keep growing his primary show.

This could be the best opportunity for Skip Bayless’ return

When Skip Bayless left ESPN to join FS1 as their lead analyst, he specifically wanted Shannon Sharpe as his partner. That move was a stroke of genius as the latter’s tinge of humor was the perfect antidote for the former’s argumentative style.

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe made Undisputed one of the best sports debate shows
Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe made Undisputed one of the best sports debate shows (Image via Magic Johnson/X)

Those qualities saw Undisputed surge to become one of the most-watched sports debate programs, even rivaling, and sometimes getting better ratings than First Take, which Bayless used to helm alongside Stephen A. Smith.

Once Sharpe left, the show started to lose steam quickly. Eventually, the plethora of guests Bayless brought onto the show was not enough. FS1 ended up canceling the show, leaving the 73-year-old out of a job.

After his exit, it was evident that no network would want to hire Skip Bayless. Now that Gilbert Arenas has pounced on the opportunity, it might be the best opportunity for the longtime analyst to make a triumphant return to sports analysis.

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