LeBron James’ appearance on the Pat McAfee Show was surprising. The former NFL kicker has a contract with ESPN, the same show where Stephen A. Smith works. With Smith and James in the middle of a severe standoff, why bring him on to talk about it? Many didn’t pick this up because they were excited to see the Akron Hammer in such an open setting letting his thoughts flow about the state of the NBA media.
But Rachel Nichols spotted a pattern. McAfee has a unique deal with ESPN. He has complete creative liberty in his show. The media house is merely the platform that airs a “finished product”. And according to Nichols, James’ appearance on the famed podcaster’s show wasn’t just a coincidence. She perceived it as a form of defiance that McAfee may be showing towards Smith and ESPN.
Nichols explained it by portraying Pat McAfee never had one of ESPN’s most renowned insiders on his show, but rather his direct rival. “You know famously when Woj was at ESPN, Pat McAfee never had him on to my knowledge. But did have Shams who was Woj’s biggest rival at the time on all the time. So there is definitely a history there with Pat since he’s been at ESPN of sort of you now thumbing his nose at what’s the convention for ESPN basketball coverage and I think we saw that today,” she explained on Sports Illustrated.
Mar 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Notably, before Shams Charania would be prompted as Adrian Wojnarowski’s replacement, he worked for years with The Athletic. He had no future with ESPN at the time. Still, McAfee would have him on the show to break down the various happenings in the NBA world. At the same time, Woj would be a regular for ESPN’s on-air shows.
So maybe McAfee doesn’t fully agree with the decisions over at ESPN. His show with LeBron James tonight did bring an open invitation to criticize Stephen A. Smith. But that’s also the nature of his show. It’s an open and organic space for guests to talk freely. That’s the reason McAfee is rated so highly in the media landscape. And that’s probably why ESPN renewed his contract despite his contentious actions.
The one interview LeBron James regrets
Speaking about interviews, in 2010 LeBron James arguably had his most popular one. In July, he had the entire city of Cleveland waiting in anticipation of his free agency decision. Instead of keeping it between the teams, the 40-year-old decided to turn the event into a national spectacle. And as he sat there and announced he would leave for South Beach, that’s where his villain arc began.
Nichols and Chris Mannix both agreed that it wasn’t the right way to deal with such a vital decision. The former ESPN employee revealed at the time Cleveland wasn’t in a great spot. But that didn’t prevent James from thinking otherwise. For a whole year, he embraced the villain persona hiding under the ‘I don’t care’ blanket.
But there was a problem. LeBron James is “too good a guy” as per Rachel Nichols. And after that first year with the Heat, he came to the realization. The way he handled free agency was wrong. And because she was the one who conducted the infamous ‘The Decision’, the Lakers star later repaired his image by having a sit down with her in 2011.
“The fact of having a whole TV special, and people getting the opportunity to watch me make a decision on where I wanted to play, I probably would change that. Because I can now look and see if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it,” he said during that interview.
Since then, he has been just that. Even when moving to the Lakers, one of the most storied sports franchises, he didn’t make the same mistakes. He understands now not only how the business works but also how deeply fan emotions are tied to the players. But at the same time as far as his rift with Stephen A. Smith is concerned, James did have the shoe on the other foot as he felt the analyst took things “personal”.
Now, he may not make another appearance anywhere to discuss it. But who knows when their saga really ends.
The post Everything Isn’t Well at ESPN as Ex-Employee Raises Concerns With Pat McAfee After Old LeBron James Interview Unearths appeared first on EssentiallySports.