The Big Lead

ESPN reporter breaks silence after LeBron James shaded him in Pat McAfee interview

By J.P. Hoornstra

Mar 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) before a game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
Mar 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) before a game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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LeBron James' wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Pat McAfee on Wednesday has inspired plenty of fallout in the 48 hours since.

ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst got roped in to LeBron's list of grievances. Over more than two decades since he began reporting on James, Windhorst has written two books on his famous muse — Return of the King: LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greatest Comeback in NBA History, and LeBron, Inc.: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete. But if Windhorst ever publicly claimed to be LeBron's "best friend," the remark went largely unnoticed.

That's why James' comments in his interview with McAfee came as a surprise.

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"I see Brian Windhorst on one of these shows not too long ago,” James said.

“You guys played together in high school, right?” McAfee asked, jokingly. (James and Windhorst share an alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron.)

“Yeah, this guy who says he’s like my f--king best friend,” James said. “These guys are just weird.”

On Thursday, Windhorst was asked about James’ comments during an appearance on ESPN Cleveland.

“LeBron doesn’t owe me anything. I owe him a lot,” Windhorst said. “He has been a great friend to my hometown and my alma mater. That I would stand on. Anything else, I would never say or never stand on.

“Just know, I met LeBron 25 years ago. And my understanding of LeBron and where people stand in his life has been crystal clear.”

Windhorst joined ESPN in 2010, covering the NBA for ESPN.com. Previously, he covered the NBA from 2003-10 for the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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