LeBron James does not appear to be a fan of Brian Windhorst, that much is true.
The Lakers supernova has enjoyed high-profile spats with a number of notable reporters and ex-reporters, including Skip Bayless and, most recently, Stephen A. Smith.
Yet, you’ll struggle to find a squabble quite as curious as his current row with Windhorst, one of ESPN’s more venerable NBA reporters.
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What are the origins of their tiff, and where is it headed? The Sporting News has you covered.
LeBron James-Brian Windhorst beef, explained
James and Windhorst have crossed paths more than a few times over their respective careers. They first came into contact when James was a high schooler — Windhorst reported for the Akron Beacon Journal, James’ local newspaper.
Despite their dichotomous upbringing — James lived in subsidized housing as a youngster while Windhorst grew up in middle-class suburbia — there are a great many similarities between the Lakers star and ESPN personality.
Both attended St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School. Both were raised on the west side of Akron. Windhorst’s mother, a health teacher, even taught sex ed to both boys.
“We know a lot of the same people,” Windhorst told the Tampa Bay Times in 2010, “and we had some of the same friends.”
Windhorst has been a roving reporter for much of the past 25 years. His primary subject: James, who he’s covered with The Cleveland Plain Dealer and, most famously, ESPN.
It’s unclear quite what the origins of James and Windhorst’s feud are. The two seemed, for all intents and purposes, cordial with one another; Windhorst was reportedly the only reporter allowed to talk with James when his then-girlfriend was about to give birth to his first son, Bronny.
As James’ star swelled, so, too, did Windhorst’s, but their relationship with one another was doomed to be marked by a single, unassailable fact: James was an athlete, Windhorst was a reporter. Their closeness resides on those fault lines, and as time has gone on, those distinctions have only grown more noticeable.
During a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show”, James laid into Windhorst, calling him “weird” and debunking the veteran reporter’s claim that he inked a big-money endorsement with Nike because of a desire to mimic Michael Jordan.
“I see Brian Windhorst on one of these shows not too long ago. The guy who says he’s like my (expletive) best friend,” James said. “These guys … it’s weird.”
Windhorst set the record straight on his relationship with James shortly after his comments went viral.
“LeBron doesn’t owe me anything, I owe him a lot,” Windhorst said. “Just know, I met LeBron 25 years ago. And my understanding of LeBron and where people stand in his life has been crystal clear.”
Still, the feud seemed apparent.
Things reached a fever pitch in June when “Mind the Game,” a James and Steve Nash-led podcast, used a clip of Windhorst seemingly decrying the show — or, at least, the public desire for a show based on actual X’s and O’s — on “First Take.” The footage was then re-packaged to be made into a hype reel for the podcast.
James reposted the video, offering his own two cents in a reply.
Long ways from being done!! Sucks they have to listen to 2 guys who know nothing about basketball talk about basketball! Sorry @SteveNash https://t.co/he6BoaPoNg
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2025
The strangest quarrel in sports continues to gather steam all these years after James and Windhorst first came into contact with each other. Who knows when — or if — it will to a close any time soon, either.
