NBA star LeBron James appeared as a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show” where he discussed almost everything going on with him. In the special episode that lasted more than one hour, James had a moment when he talked about ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The four-time champion was nonchalant when he talked about the NBA Insider and his thoughts about him.
Among the reporters who have followed James since the beginning of his career is Windhorst. Prior to being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft, the ESPN commentator began covering the Los Angeles Lakers star. Despite Windhorst spending countless hours crafting tales about the four-time winner, the relationship doesn’t appear to be reciprocal.
When the topic of Windhorst was brought up, James got real and told McAfee and his other co-hosts about what he thought of the media personality.
“This guy who says he’s my f**king best friend. These guys are just weird,” James said.
"This guy who says he's my f-cking best friend. These guys are just weird."
– LeBron on Brian Windhorst
(🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow / h/t @Underdog )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 26, 2025
With what he said, Stephen A. Smith came to his colleague’s defense on his Wednesday show.
“I have worked with Brian Windhorst for years, never once did he say that LeBron was a best friend,” Smith said. “A matter of fact, years earlier, it was LeBron who sat in front of the microphone and said, ‘Probably nobody knows me better than Brian Windhorst, who’s been covering me since I was in junior high school.’
“Windhorst is an exceptional commentator, who does a phenomenal job at ESPN. My show, Get Up, NBA Today, Sportscenter, goes and covers the game. He is one of the elite people covering the NBA in this world.
Stephen A. Smith comes to Brian Windhorst’s defense over LeBron’s comments
(h/t @ClutchPoints)pic.twitter.com/4DqJRCYeZg
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 26, 2025
“Ain’t nobody, I repeat, nobody defends LeBron James more than that man. And look at what LeBron did.
The NBA star talked about his real opinion about what happened to him and Stephen A. Smith
The Lakers and the New York Knicks played on March 6. However, James confronted Smith throughout the game for his remarks against his kid, Bronny James, thus the game wasn’t the major focus. The four-time MVP explained why he sought the ESPN commentator during his visit to McAfee’s show.
“He completely missed the whole point,” James said. “Never would I ever not allow people who talk about the sport to criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job to criticize… That is all part of the game. When you take it and get personal with it, it’s my job not only to protect my damn household but protect the players. I think a lot of the media, including him – and I know he’s going to be happy as hell when he hears me talking about him. He’s going to get home and grab some ice cream out of the f**king freezer and sit in his chair in his tighty-whities on the couch. Relax, bro.”
“Stephen A Smith is like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now.
It started off with ‘I didn’t wanna address it, but since the video came out I have to.’ –LeBron James going in Stephen A Smith on ESPN on the Pat McAfee show 😂😂
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) March 26, 2025
James also mocked Smith by saying that the media member is having his own Taylor Swift tour.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
