The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a historic 2024-25 season. No matter the end result of the season, it will always be remembered as the one that acquired Luca Doncic in a massive trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
However, it is Lebron James making headlines right now after appearing on The Pat McAfee Show.
Breaking: Lakers’ Lebron James In The Middle Of “Race Baiting” Controversy With White NFL Host
McAfee didn’t hold back on Friday morning when he addressed the narratives surrounding his recent interview with LeBron James:
The former NFL punter and current ESPN host responded to criticism over his conversation with the Lakers superstar, particularly addressing the racial undertones some have injected into the discussion.
Earlier this week, James appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. He openly discussed multiple topics, including his ongoing feud with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and criticism of NBA insider Brian Windhorst. While some praised McAfee for landing the high-profile interview, others, including ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, questioned James’ choice of platform.
Good morning beautiful people..
I still can’t believe LeBron had a conversation with a white guy the other day.
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 28, 2025
McAfee took to social media to call out what he saw as unnecessary racial framing of his interview with James. “Good morning beautiful people,” McAfee tweeted. “I still can’t believe LeBron had a conversation with a white guy the other day.”
Smith, for his part, dismissed any notion of bias or favoritism regarding McAfee’s interview. “Congratulations to Pat McAfee,” Smith said on First Take. “Anybody would’ve gotten that interview — I take no issue with the job that Pat McAfee did.” Smith emphasized that the backlash was unwarranted, praising McAfee’s professionalism and ability to secure a conversation with one of basketball’s biggest names.
Perkins, who had previously questioned James’ collaboration with former players like JJ Redick and Steve Nash on his Mind the Game podcast, has yet to respond to McAfee’s tweet. It remains unclear whether he will address the comment directly.
Fans were quick to react to McAfee’s comment:
With a white guy? Lord the race baiting never stops.. You dragging it now. Evb who mentioning race. Yall annoying now
— 8 way or NO WAY😤‼️ (@Therego_Deee) March 28, 2025
For anyone about to comment on this..
Pat is making fun of the fact that a ton of people were pissed off that Lebron went on PMS and not a non-white hosted podcast
— VTecxan (@VTecxan) March 28, 2025
What’s this supposed to mean ?
— Drake 10 (@DrakesPats) March 28, 2025
If it’s mad annoying you can log off twitter, and go for a walk. That’s the nice thing about having free will. Give it a shot!
— Viking Shrek (@VikingShrek) March 28, 2025
