A former ESPN reporter claimed during an interview that NBA superstar LeBron James tried to get her fired from the worldwide sports industry leader.
Michelle Beadle claimed on her new podcast, “What Did I Miss,” which is published via The Atlantic, that King James took umbrage with the way she covered his infamous “The Decision” on ESPN in 2010. James was buried under an avalanche of fan and industry outrage when he aired his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
Beadle had two stints at ESPN, hosting “SportsNation” from 2009 to 2012 before leaving for NBC Sports. She returned to ESPN in 2014. She resumed hosting “SportsNation” and “NBA Countdown” before leaving the company for good in 2019.
Now at The Atlantic, Beadle is able to spill the tea while entertaining her guest, NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, who also left ESPN under very conspicuous circumstances.
But it was the way in which Beadle addressed the LBJ free agency that allegedly had him feeling some kind of way.
Seriously??? Ugh RT @JimmyTraina: RT @Ourand_SBJ ESPN: LeBron will announce his decision during an hour-long special on ESPN Thursday at 9pm
— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) July 7, 2010
“He tried,” Beadle told Pierce. “He did try to do that. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m honored that I’m even on your mind. Thank you very much, sir. That’s a weird place for me to be.’”
Beadle added that she didn’t really feel any kind of way towards James, but apparently, his alleged efforts to get her ousted from ESPN changed her mind.
“My stuff with him started out not personal. I made fun of ‘The Decision’ like 400,000 other talking heads did at the time, and I think for some reason that was it,” she said. “It wasn’t personal to begin with. It obviously now will always be personal. It is what it is.”
Listen to Beadle in full below.
Michelle Beadle says LeBron James tried to get her fired from ESPN: pic.twitter.com/MtzGBr5P5u
— Clips & Quips (@Clipselberry) November 19, 2021
