“There was animosity from LeBron!” – Brian Windhorst opens up on his bittersweet relationship with LeBron James
LeBron James has had an interesting relationship with ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who has covered the player's career since the beginning. However, over the past years, their relationship hasn't been the same and the famed reporter has shared the inside scoop on what happened between him and James.
Windy, who also went to high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School a few years before LeBron, shared how covering the Miami Heat changed the dynamic between them. After James confirmed his decision to join the Heat, ESPN quickly reached out to Windhorst to spearhead the Heat Index, which didn't sit well with James.
"There was animosity from LeBron! He was not crazy about it. He didn’t like the way EPSN handled the fallout from The Decision. He felt like he got left alone on an island there," Windhorst said. "And he really didn’t like the idea of ESPN creating a team of people just to cover the Heat, which was kind of revolutionary at the time, and I was the lead guy on. It was pretty salty the first year."
"The thing that was frustrating was that I was branded as a sycophant for going," Windhorst recalled. "And LeBron was not giving me the time of day. If I was going to be branded a sycophant, at least I would get the benefits of being a sycophant, right? I’d be getting all the inside information and all the special access, but I wasn’t."
LeBron James ‘was not crazy’ about Brian Windhorst joining ESPN to cover the Miami Heat ow.ly/8t45104JTRl https://t.co/gUxwnnxicR
"When you become a national face that covers a high profile league like the NBA, people are going to criticize you, it is part of the deal," Windhorst said. "If I didn’t like it, I could leave ESPN."
Since then, Windy has covered other stories which aren't entirely related to LeBron or whichever team he's with.
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Brian Windhorst shared that he hasn't reached out to LeBron James for quite some time
Last year, Brian Windhorst was asked about his relationship with LeBron. The famed reporter revealed that both of them have moved on from each other and that he's stopped reaching out to the 19-time All-Star.
"I haven’t really communicated with him much at all in the last few years," Windy said.
Brian Windhorst reveals where his relationship with LeBron James stands trib.al/IuuqeZq https://t.co/qoykyxVNx7
"First of all, the pandemic happened so we weren’t doing in-person interviews. In years past I’ve messaged with him, but we’ve both kind of moved on. LeBron doesn’t have personal relationships like that with reporters. He hasn’t in a long time."
According to the reporter, his access to getting the scoop about LeBron has been limited since the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. Since joining the LA Lakers, Windy hasn't had a ton of chances that are related to the four-time champion.
Also read: Brian Windhorst reveals reason behind LeBron James' early return from injury: "They smell weakness in the Western Conference"