LeBron James' 'I'm the Sun' viral slander aimed at Michael Malone resurfaces amid Nuggets' bombshell firing

LeBron James and Michael Malone go way back. Malone was an assistant to coach Mike Brown with the Cleveland Cavaliers and was one of the closest in attendance to King James' rise to stardom in the NBA. However, the two beefed after their encounter in the 2023 Western Conference finals, and fans brought the same up amidst news of Malone's dismissal.

Malone and James had beef after the Nuggets swept the LA Lakers in the West finals. Malone appeared enraged by how the media narrative centered around the Lakers and not his team's success and had taken shots at James and the Lakers on "The Pat McAfee Show" on June 15, 2023.

The Lakers superstar responded without taking names through an Instagram post on June 16, 2023, calling himself the "sun." With Malone's tenure as Nuggets coach ending, the subliminal dig by James has resurfaced on X. Fan account LakeShowYo tweeted the throwback post on Tuesday.

The words "I stay on forever" seem to have come true, with James set to lead the Lakers to yet another playoff run.

Michael Malone has praised LeBron James ahead of the season, ending all talk of ongoing beef

Any talk of beef seems to have been in the heat of the moment, and Michael Malone was all praise for LeBron James and his longevity when he addressed the topic in April 2024.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach joked about how he hopes James slows down for the sake of his team while praising the star for getting better as a player even in his 21st year in the NBA.

"It's year 21, and the guy is getting better," Malone said. "I hope he gets tired. I hope he wears down. But I've seen no signs of LeBron James slowing down by any means."

With Malone's surprise dismissa, the Nuggets find themselves in a perilous position with the playoffs just around the corner. Meanwhile, James has still not shown any signs of slowing down, leading the Lakers to a tight playoff positioning race.