The seasoned commentator, and television personality Skip Bayless has been exceptional as an analyst over the years, known to make bold statements regarding the sport. The former ESPN First Take host who is currently anchoring Undisputed on Fox Sports has worked with several analysts and TV personalities in the past.
Given Bayless is the master of his trade, the NBA analyst did not quite expect the same amount of ball knowledge coming from rapper Lil Wayne. They had both voiced similar takes on Dubs superstar Steph Curry when he was just being drafted in the NBA.
Skip Bayless hails Lil Wayne
Skip Bayless has just finished up a Friday morning taping of his Fox Sports 1 show Undisputed. While in the show, his pal Lil Wayne appeared for a sports debate segment which they’ve been doing every Friday since the end of August, and it highlights their natural chemistry. As the PEOPLE interviewed the two over Zoom later on to know the bond they share together, Skip Bayless revealed how much knowledgeable the music icon has in sports.
Bayless narrated what happened during a pre-show meeting. They were discussing Steph Curry and Blake Griffin, as both were about to be drafted by the NBA. Bayless who remembered Wayne’s opinion during the discussion, said, “He pleasantly shocked me by saying that he thought Steph was better than Blake, something that I had believed and people at ESPN thought I was out of my mind about. I said, ‘This man really knows sports.'”
Skip Bayless didn’t stop there, he went further to say that Lil Wayne’s depth of knowledge truly impressed him as they continued talking. He explained that it is hard to convince him to believe some people are knowledgeable in sports despite working in a different industry entirely like Wayne did.
He said, “I don’t usually indulge others in talking sports because I think I know a lot more than they do, so I don’t want to waste my time. But there’s no man on earth I would rather talk sports or life with than this man. Even though we come from sort of opposite ends of the earth, we’re very much alike in how we see sports and, in many ways, how we see life.”
Skip Bayless and Lil Wayne’s friendship explained
Lil Wayne visited the ESPN offices back in 2008, and that’s when he first met Bayless. Bayless was surprised by the rapper’s knowledge of sports and was taken aback when Lil Wayne expressed his preference for Stephen Curry over Blake Griffin.
The celebrated analyst had been a big fan of Curry when he played for Davidson. They became close friends after that encounter and have remained friends for about 15 years, something that fans would not expect given Bayless’ history of feuds with other analysts. Curry’s discussion played a significant role in bringing them together.
In an interview with People Magazine, Wayne discussed the chemistry he shares with Bayless. Despite the age gap, they discovered they had much in common, which led to their unlikely friendship. When asked how they stay in touch, Skip explained that they text each other regularly.
They have conversations on a wide range of topics, from sports to life itself. Their friendship extended to television, with the rapper making appearances on “Undisputed.” Now, they have a weekly segment every Friday, where they discuss sports and other interesting topics.
Lil Wayne even recorded the new theme song for the show. Their connection goes beyond television, as they often hang out in Los Angeles at least once a month, sometimes accompanied by Skip’s wife, Ernestine Sclafani. Bayless said, “Maybe every month, my wife Ernestine and I get in our car, and we drive out to Wayne,” he continued saying “It’s on a Saturday afternoon, it’s 30 to 40 minutes. When we first started this, I was a little worried about my wife because we do tend to talk sports, and she’s not the biggest sports fan. But she gets it, and she knows the principles involved.”
The friendship between Skip Bayless, 71, and Lil Wayne, 41, seems to be out of this world as both find it cool to be around each other for hours without food or drink.
