Brian Windhorst is taking the high road after being on the receiving end of a shot from LeBron James.
Windhorst took a shot from James when the Los Angeles Lakers star conducted a lengthy in-person interview with Pat McAfee on Wednesday. During the interview, James responded to the way he is covered by the media, including Stephen A. Smith. In the same interview, James mocked Windhorst for being “weird” and acting like he’s longtime friends with James.
Windhorst, who attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School prior to James playing there, covered James in high school while serving as a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal in Ohio. Windhorst then covered James as a Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter. Windhorst moved to ESPN to cover James when LeBron signed with the Miami Heat, and he has remained with ESPN ever since.
Windhorst joined ESPN Cleveland’s Chris Oldach for an interview on their “5 Good Minutes” segment Thursday. During that appearance, Windhorst was asked about James and gave a classy response.
“LeBron doesn’t owe me anything,” Windhorst said. “I owe him a lot. He has been a great friend to my hometown and my alma mater. That I would stand on. Anything else I would never or never stand on. Just know, Chris, I met LeBron 25 years ago. My understanding of LeBron and where people stand in his life has been crystal clear for a long time.”
"LeBron doesn't owe me anything, I owe him a lot," – Windy on the LeBron comments made to @PatMcAfeeShow.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 27, 2025
FULL EPISODE: https://t.co/2Yj5bS3XEJ pic.twitter.com/FJ5Zz3DZup
Windhorst, in as polite of a way possible, said he knows he is not friends with James. The difference is Windhorst has a better understanding of James’ background than most people, which has led to him becoming somewhat of an authority on the subject.
James has shown respect for Windhorst in the past. He may have been set off by Windhorst’s recent claims that James invited being the face of the NBA when he chose to wear jersey No. 23 and sign with Nike to be like Michael Jordan. James made clear in his interview with McAfee that he signed with Nike because they offered him the most money.
