​Brian Windhorst now has a theory about why LeBron James launched a jab at him on ESPN, tying it to a doctored image. In an appearance on The Press Box with Bryan Curtis, Windhorst explained LeBron’s March 2025 dig on The Pat McAfee Show, where he labeled Windhorst a “weird” guy who claims to be his best friend. Windhorst said he has never claimed to be LeBron’s best friend or an official expert, and that while many people have attached those labels to him, he did not use them in that way and has always seen himself as a journalist covering a great athlete.
Windhorst’s theory centers on a running gag from The Pat McAfee Show about Windhorst being LeBron’s high school teammate. Technically, Windhorst attended the same Akron school as LeBron, St. Vincent-St. Mary, but he was seven years older. As part of the bit, The McAfee Show doctored a photo with Windhorst’s face on a LeBron high school team picture. Windhorst believes LeBron may have seen the image and assumed Windhorst had released it, rather than recognizing it as a prank by the show. He doubts LeBron was aware of the joke’s origin or that Windhorst wasn’t behind the image.
The tension also involved Windhorst’s comments about LeBron’s Nike signing out of high school in 2003, which Windhorst framed as Jordan being a major influence on LeBron’s decision to sign with Nike, a claim LeBron disputed. Windhorst recalled standing by his remark, though he couldn’t remember the exact details or timing, noting that LeBron’s ongoing clash with Stephen A. Smith likely contributed to the reaction, given that Windhorst had appeared on Stephen A.’s show.
This wasn’t the last jab from LeBron; in June 2025, LeBron responded to a clip of Windhorst questioning his Mind the Game podcast, telling co-host Steve Nash that they know nothing about basketball.