The recent events highlighted that Stephen A. Smith wasn’t the only ESPN employee to experience LeBron James’ ire during ESPN broadcasts on Wednesday. While James’ comments on his ongoing feud with Smith drew significant attention during his hour-long interview on The Pat McAfee Show, he also took a jab at ESPN senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst, who has covered him throughout much of his illustrious 22-year NBA career. During a discussion about comparisons to Michael Jordan, James unexpectedly criticized Windhorst.
“I see a lot of s**t too. Like I see Brian Windhorst on one of these shows not too long ago,” James began, before being interrupted by McAfee. “You guys played together in high school, right?” McAfee jokingly referenced their shared alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. To which James replied, “Yeah, this guy who says he’s like my f**king best friend. These guys are just weird.”
“This guy who says he’s my f-cking best friend. These guys are just weird.”
LeBron James on Brian Windhorst 😂 pic.twitter.com/jrQgLgG1mc
— Underdog (@Underdog) March 26, 2025
James went on to mention Windhorst’s assertion that he wears No. 23 because of Jordan, which he acknowledged as true, but he took issue with Windhorst’s claim that his Nike endorsement deal originated from the same reason. “No the f*ck I didn’t,” James asserted. “I signed with Nike because I got a hell of a signing bonus, and they gave me a seven-year, $90 million contract.” Regardless of Jordan’s influence on his decision to sign with Nike, the jab at Windhorst felt particularly personal, especially considering their long history, as the Akron native has covered James extensively from high school through the majority of his professional career, now taking on a more national role at ESPN.
Notably, Windhorst has never publicly claimed to be James’ “best friend,” nor is it likely he would have done so privately. Over the years, the former Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter has openly acknowledged that James has mixed feelings toward him, even conceding on Wednesday that he couldn’t secure an hour-long interview with the superstar like McAfee did.
Chris Russo on Pat McAfee’s LeBron James interview: “That’s a great job by McAfee. Getting a guy in there for an hour… who’d not want to talk to LeBron for an hour? Windy can. He’d never come on with me.”
Brian Windhorst: “He wouldn’t come on with me, no I don’t think so.”… pic.twitter.com/w8klPuyvwW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 26, 2025
This incident underscores that James wasn’t merely targeting an ESPN employee, but doing so within the context of ESPN. While his criticism of Smith may be understandable, the dig at Windhorst seemed unwarranted, suggesting a potential rift between two of Akron’s beloved figures that may be deeper than previously known.
