Ten years ago, Skip Bayless made a bold prediction that Johnny Manziel would surpass LeBron James in popularity in Cleveland. This controversial statement was confidently aired on First Take and shared on Twitter. Today marks the anniversary of that memorable moment.

“I will go right down the list of teams that will forever regret passing on Johnny Manziel, who pretty soon will change football life in Cleveland, Ohio,” Bayless confidently declared to Stephen A. Smith on First Take. “One day, I am predicting, Johnny Manziel will become even bigger in the city of Cleveland than his buddy and business partner LeBron James ever was in the city of Cleveland. One day, the passing connection of Johnny Manziel to Josh Gordon will heat up November and December and I’m predicting January in Cleveland, Ohio.”

 

 

And thus, one of Skip’s most infamous takes was born—a list that includes his unwavering defense of Tim Tebow and his assertion that Derek Fisher would outshine Steve Kerr as an NBA coach. But none could overshadow Skip’s bold declaration that Manziel would one day eclipse LeBron James’ stature in Cleveland.

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless on First Take

LeBron declared he was going back to Cleveland two months after this take, citing his desire to win a championship for the team. LeBron gave Cleveland that championship two years later. However, after just two seasons and eight starts—none of which came in January—Manziel never again completed an NFL throw. But in 2021, Manziel would hit Josh Gordon one more for the Fan-Controlled Football League.

Since then, Manziel has apologized to Bayless for raising erroneous expectations and for disappointing him by not living up to the hype. However, this analysis focused just as much on LeBron as it did on Manziel. Because Bayless is so enamored with LeBron’s fame, it’s likely that he had no problem hammering Manziel with these unfair and unrealistic expectations.

I once said that Johnny Manziel would be even bigger in Cleveland than LeBron James ever was": Skip Bayless jokes about ridiculously comparing the King to Johnny Football in one of his

This was peak Skip Bayless. It was finding a hill to die on with a hot take and doing it by replanting his flag as the foremost LeBron James hater on that same hill. Happy anniversary.