"LeBron James doesn't owe me anything" - Brian Windhorst shares honest feelings on Lakers star's subtle diss

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst are at the center of controversy after James called the journalist out on "The Pat McAfee Show." This comes amid James' ongoing beef with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

Windhorst shared his thoughts on the situation when he spoke on ESPN’s Cleveland show “5 Good Minutes with Windy” on Friday:

“LeBron doesn’t owe me anything. 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 say or never stand on.”

James on The Pat McAfee Show claimed that Windhorst said they're "best friends," which James denied. This claim made by the four-time champion has been refuted by members of the media, including Stephen A. Smith and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

The four-time champion has recently had a spat with the media. His issues have seen him quarrel with Smith. He has also been called out by former teammate and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins.

Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James' beef started when Smith criticized James' son, Bronny. James took issue with Smith's comments, and the two had a heated exchange during a game between the Lakers and Knicks on Mar. 8.

Since then, the feud has escalated, as Smith called James a liar, while James accused him of milking their confrontation for attention. Smith issued an apology to James on Thursday after he wrongly claimed that James didn't attend Kobe Bryant's memorial service.

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LeBron James called out by former NFL player after loss to Chicago Bulls

LeBron James was called out by Shannon Sharpe on X after the Lakers suffered a tough 119-117 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

"Bron, you’ve got 2 be fcking kidding me. You gambled and gave up a 3 and turned it over that led 2 another 3. What was a 5 pt lead with 12 secs. You’re dwn with 6 secs and lose on a half court shot after Reaves puts you up 1 with 3 secs. FCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKK," wrote Sharpe.

The Bulls' game-winner came in the form of a 47-foot three-pointer, which handed the Lakers their 29th loss of the season and their fourth loss in the last five games.

LeBron James finished the game with 17 points on 8-for-20 shooting, 12 assists, two steals and a team-high four turnovers.