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Recently, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James stopped by ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show to discuss a host of topics, including his belief that Giannis Antetokounmpo would average 250 points a game in the 1970s as well as his relationship with Michael Jordan. One of the topics discussed was the coverage of James by the NBA media, who often misconstrue his words in the hopes of generating content.
James did not hold back in naming specific individuals who he labeled as “weird” in NBA media circles.
“I've seen Brian Windhorst on one of these shows not too long ago… This guy says he's like my f***ing best friend,” James said. “These guys are just weird.”
Windhorst has covered many a LeBron James story for ESPN over the years after graduating from St. Vincent St. Mary High School–the same school that James attended in northeast Ohio.
James also recently got into a highly publicized argument with ESPN media personality Stephen A. Smith during a Lakers' home game vs the New York Knicks, apparently revolving around Smith's coverage of James' son, Bronny.
James' volatile relationship with the media
It's rare that a superstar entertainer or athlete of James' status has a great relationship with the media, but things seem to have gone even further downhill between the two sides in recent years.
Of course, it should be noted that James made these comments on a media platform run by the same company–ESPN–that employs both Smith and Windhorst.
However, the this or that, hot take nature of sports media today makes it so that athletes' words are often taken out of context to support a narrative, a fire that only burns brighter when the athlete in question is at the status of LeBron James.
It remains to be seen whether Windhorst, Smith, and other recent media targets of James will adjust their demeanor at all in response to their biggest cash cow going on the offensive.
