LeBron James isn’t the only NBA player who has found themselves in a feud with an NBA analyst. The Lakers star has made headlines for his ongoing beef with Stephen A. Smith. LeBron certainly isn’t the first NBA star to bump heads with a member of the media. A former Mavericks forward reveals a story where his best friend nearly got his hands dirty with ESPN analyst Tim McMahon.
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The reason this is a topic of conversation is because of LeBron’s viral interview on The Pat McAfee Show. During his extensive conversation with McAfee, LeBron addressed the confrontation with Smith. His comments poured gasoline on the fire, causing the flames to ignite in the manner in which they have.
Everyone is providing their opinion regarding the situation, but Chandler Parsons empathizes with LeBron. He knows firsthand what beef with a reporter feels like. In the latest episode of FanDuel TV’s Run It Back, he opened up about his feud with McMahon.
“My best friend literally almost beat [Tim McMahon] up in the tunnel,” Parsons said. “Every single time I would do something, he would cover it. He would tweet something that was passive-aggressive, he would tweet something negative… As a player, you hate that.”
McMahon, at the time, was a beat writer for the Mavericks, which he still serves as for ESPN. However, Parsons and his friend believed he crossed a line with his constant negative words towards the 6-foot-9 forward.
Parsons went on to admit that his relationship with McMahon has mended since he departed from Dallas. Regardless, he understands LeBron’s feelings toward Smith in this given situation.
The biggest NBA player/media beefs
The media’s job is to provide coverage for the sport. However, many get lost in the pursuit of clicks and views and succumb to painting athletes in a negative light. As a result, altercations have arisen in NBA history. However, some are more notable than others.
A fairly recent beef involves Sixers star Joel Embiid and Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes. The genesis of their altercation stemmed from Hayes referencing Embiid’s late brother to poke at the big man’s work ethic. Embiid didn’t take kindly to those words and shoved Hayes during a media scrum. It led to Embiid being hit with a three-game suspension.
Another infamous beef is between Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Durant. The two former teammates on the Thunder were once incredibly close friends. Unfortunately, that relationship is no more.
Perkins publicly criticized Durant’s move to Golden State during a flurry of tweets in 2020. The sudden tone of Perkins surprised Durant, since the two seemingly had a good relationship. Throughout the years, the two continue to throw jabs at each other with their words. As things stand, it looks like there is no mending their relationship.
Plenty of feuds between media members and NBA players will continue in the coming years. Hopefully, LeBron’s stance against Stephen A. Smith will prevent reporters from taking personal shots at athletes moving forward. Ensuring the integrity of the craft remains intact.
