"He’s a powerful dude”: Ex ESPN employee who got replaced by Rachel Nichols reckons LeBron James contributed to her dismissal
LeBron James has cemented his place as not only one of the NBA's biggest names but also as one of the world's most influential athletes. Whether he's voicing his opinion on something via social media, speaking in an interview, or simply retweeting something, when James speaks, the world listens. According to former ESPN "NBA Countdown" host Michelle Beadle, James listens just as much as he speaks.
Beadle had become a staple of ESPN's NBA programming. Initially, she co-hosted "SportsNation" in 2009, before then parting ways with the network several years later to join NBC. After then returning to ESPN in 2014, she began co-hosting "Get Up!" before then leading "NBA Countdown" for several years.
When Beadle quietly parted ways with ESPN in 2019, there was much speculation as to the reasoning. The network replaced her with Rachel Nichols, leading fans to wonder what caused the split.
While there has never been a specific reason given about the situation, Beadle's decision to criticize "The Decision" may have played a part. During a recent interview with the Awful Announcing podcast, she spoke about the situation and whether or not LeBron James contributed to her firing:
"You know, he’s a powerful dude. I mean, there’s no getting around that he is an empire and an entity upon himself. All the respect for building such a powerful entity on a name and doing it well. So, yeah, people are going to listen.”
Looking at Rachel Nichols' involvement in Michelle Beadle's firing, did she help Lebron James get the longtime host fired?
As Michelle Beadle elaborated during her podcast appearance, LeBron James may not have been the only voice that contributed to her firing. As she said, Rachel Nichols benefitted from her ESPN departure as well. Given that, she believes that Nichols played a role in the decision to fire her.
“Yeah, I do," Beadle said. "I mean, look, she’s ultimately not that powerful. But I think some of the narrative that was being allowed to play out specifically in the New York Post at the time I knew where it was coming from. We all knew where it was coming from."
Nichols was also let go by the network in 2022 amid reports from The New York Times that ESPN had a culture of racism around the office. As part of the investigation, audio from a phone call was released of Nichols venting about the network having her step aside for Maria Taylor.
Since then, Nichols has landed with Fox Sports, while Michelle Beadle, despite being saddened by the loss of her dream job as "NBA Countdown" host, has landed on her feet. Currently, Beadle hosts a new show on Sirius XM as part of the Mad Dog Sports Radio Channel.
LeBron James has not spoken on the matter.