LeBron James is set to appear on an ESPN show later this week, and surprisingly, it will be Pat McAfee conducting the interview, not Stephen A. Smith. McAfee’s Monday afternoon show, co-hosted by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, kicked off discussing college basketball. After watching some games over the weekend, McAfee remarked on the noticeable gap in skill levels between college basketball and the NBA, pointing out, “We’re talking airballs, we’re talking throwing layups through the backboard, we’re talking about passing it out of bounds, dribbling out of bounds, we’re talking about some madness still happening on the court.” He then teased the big news, stating, “Obviously, we follow the NBA a little bit closer and I don’t want to give anything away, LeBron James is gonna be on the show this week…he’s gonna be on this week.”
.@KingJames will be on the progrum this week
🗣🗣LEBRON JAMES #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Sj7BzD3gn1
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 24, 2025
McAfee had previously expressed difficulties in booking ESPN NBA analysts for his show. However, this week he has secured an NBA guest far more significant than anyone ESPN could provide. The exact date of James’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show remains unknown, but it follows closely after James confronted Smith at a Los Angeles Lakers game, a moment Smith has eagerly capitalized on. Despite their own reported tensions, it’s unlikely that McAfee is deliberately trying to provoke Smith by booking James. It’s a fantastic opportunity for any host, and it’s rather intriguing to see James choose to join a show that airs directly after Smith’s First Take on ESPN.
James has not escalated his feud with Smith as aggressively as ESPN’s highly valued talent has recently done. It seems likely that he will keep their controversy confined to the court. If he chooses to discuss his relationship with Smith, doing so on ESPN through The Pat McAfee Show would certainly make for an interesting platform.
