Has Brian Windhorst ever called LeBron James his best friend? Examining Lakers star's viral claim

LeBron James has been followed by reporters and media members since before he entered the NBA, but Brian Windhorst has been the closest to James. He has followed him into and around the NBA during his 22-year career.

However, LeBron made a comment on Wednesday that in Windhorst's eyes, he and James are close personal friends.

On Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," LeBron James spoke about Windhorst, an ESPN NBA Insider who owes a good part of his career success to James' superstardom. James claimed that Windhorst has claimed to be much closer to him than is true.

"I've seen Brian Windhorst on one of these shows not too long ago. This guy says he's my f***ing best friend," said James about Windhorst. "These guys are just weird."

LeBron James' claim that Windhorst considers himself one of his best friends begs the question: Has the reporter ever specifically claimed to be close to James in a social setting outside of covering him in the media?

According to the Athletic's Andrew Marchand, Windhorst has never publicly called himself James' friend.

"Windhorst has never said that. He has covered LeBron for a long time. Weak sauce from LeBron," he tweeted.

Windhorst has covered James closely since the Lakers forward was in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary's, having graduated from the school a couple of years before James' arrival.

The NBA reporter continued to provide insider coverage on LeBron as he navigated through his NBA career and maintained a professional relationship with him.

However, the bond between Windhorst and James grew strenuous because of how Windhorst covered "The Decision" back in 2010. According to Windhorst, LeBron James didn't appreciate how the event was covered by him and the rest of sports media, effectively ending the relationship between them.

"In years past, I had messaged with him, but we both kind of moved on,” Windhorst said. "LeBron doesn’t have personal relationships like that with reporters. He hasn’t for a long time."

It didn't stop just at 'The Decision' either, according to Windhorst. ESPN made the decision to put him at the head of a team of NBA reporters dedicated solely to covering LeBron James and the Miami Heat. James didn't appreciate being so closely scrutinized, leading to some conflict between him and the media.

"There was animosity from LeBron! He was not crazy about it. He didn’t like the way ESPN 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 constant attention that LeBron James has gotten might be starting to change his opinion on the media, as his statements about people covering the game have gotten more critical.

Brian Windhorst isn't the only sports media member that LeBron James has taken issue with

The Los Angeles Lakers turned heads this summer when they drafted LeBron James' son, Bronny James, near the end of the 2025 NBA Draft.

James went as far as to confront one of Bronny's critics, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, in person.

James sought out Smith after the Lakers' win over the New York Knicks in early March and told the "First Take" host to quit being so harsh about his son.

Stephen A. Smith defended himself, saying that he was fulfilling his duties as a journalist and covering the NBA without bias of favoritism, delivering his audience the content they wanted.

James is one of the more influential figures in the NBA world today, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't burned bridges or had relationships come and go.

When it comes to Brian Windhorst, Stephen A. Smith and others, it is becoming more clear that James is appreciative of the role that media plays in the basketball world.