With Mike “Never Scored 20 PPG for the Raptors” James’ increased prominence on his team, and, by extension, the NBA as a whole, it is now appropriate to include him in the “grossest NBA beard” discussion. He seems like the type of guy who would be attractive with a mild amount of stubble, but the thing he’s got going on right now just isn’t working for him. It doesn’t have the thick, full coverage that a nice-looking beard requires. Basically, the rule is, if you can see skin through it, you should just shave it right off. James is breaking that rule and the results aren’t pretty.
Fortunately for Mike “NSTPPGFTR” James, Tyler Johnson is still alive and still has a beard as far as I know, so he’s the recipient of this dubious distinction. But my feeling is that James hasn’t put in 100% effort in terms of making sure his beard is the grossest it can be. He’ll have to let it grow for a few weeks and then we can re-evaluate its grossness.