For years, people have debated which sport rules America. Is it the NBA or the NFL? You will find strong arguments on both sides, but direct comparisons linking specific teams from both leagues are rare.
However, recently, an NBA analyst found a unique way to connect the two worlds, and he did it through the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Cowboys.
Skip Bayless Compares the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Cowboys
In a recent episode of the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, NBA analyst Skip Bayless appeared as a guest. He made a pretty interesting comparison between the two sports. Bayless stated that the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA are basically what the Dallas Cowboys are in the NFL.
“The Lakers are just like my Cowboys. Everything they do gets ridiculously exaggerated. It’s like way over here, and then it’s way over here. They’re the greatest, or they’re the worst night after night, after night, just like unfortunately my Cowboys are mostly down than up,” Bayless said during the segment.
Skip Bayless says the Lakers are the Dallas Cowboys of the NBA:
“Everything they do gets ridiculously exaggerated. It’s like way over here, and then it’s way over here. They’re the greatest or they’re the worst night after night, after night just like unfortunately my Cowboys… pic.twitter.com/M5Y700ATQR
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 1, 2026
This is not the first time someone has tried to draw this kind of parallel. Back in June last year, former NBA player Danny Green made a similar comparison between the two franchises.
“America’s Team. I don’t remember where or when I signed. I think I was in a random a** city, it might’ve been like Orlando. But you realize how many Lakers fans are everywhere. It’s like the Cowboys… A fanbase, America’s Team,” Green said in an episode of the “All the Smoke” podcast.
However, Green’s argument focused more on how both franchises are viewed nationwide. He pointed out that the Lakers and Cowboys are often seen as destination teams. They are organizations that players dream of joining because of their history.
Bayless, on the other hand, approached the comparison from a slightly different angle. According to him, the Lakers and the Cowboys are two of the most storied franchises in the country.
The Lakers have won 17 NBA titles. The Cowboys have five Super Bowl rings.
Both teams have been going through long title droughts. The Lakers last won a championship in 2020, and the Cowboys have not touched the Lombardi Trophy since the 1995 season.
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Yet, according to Bayless, both teams tend to celebrate minor achievements far too loudly, rather than staying focused on winning a championship. That was the core of his comparison.
This comment from Bayless came up during a moment where the cast was discussing Luka Dončić and his MVP standing. The conversation was interesting because Dončić recently became the first player in league history to record more than 500 points, 35 steals, and 50 3-pointers in a single month, doing so in March.
Despite that historic run, his MVP ranking has slipped. Bayless believes Dončić should finish third in the MVP race, behind Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Here is the point. You have to keep in the context of should Luka be the MVP? Well, he should be third. That’s where he is and where he will finish,” Bayless added.
As a team, the Lakers are currently 50-26 and have already secured a playoff spot. Whether Dončić, who is averaging 33.8 points per game, ends up winning MVP or not remains to be seen as the season winds down.
Bayless’ comparison might seem unusual at first, but it raises an interesting point about expectations and standards.
