In his 22-year playing career, LeBron James has had his fair share of rivalries on the court. But this time the LA Lakers legend has an uncanny feud with veteran journalist, Rachel Nichols. Bron had a positive relationship with the 51-year-old reporter, even reportedly playing a part in her getting the role at NBA Countdown. Nichols has also been supportive of James over the years, but everything turned upside down after her remark over Bronny in June. While James quietly expressed his disapproval at that time, last night, he went after her in a strong fashion.

Akron Hammer’s post-game interviews in the locker room are always exciting to watch out for. Well, on Thursday night, James didn’t disappoint either. He went after Nichols with a cold response when she asked about the Lakers’ coach.

After a 31-point outing on a losing cause, the superstar had a relaxed interaction with the reporters. At that time, Nichols, referring to JJ Redick’s downcast press interaction after the loss, asked if coaches could run with it for the entire season. James, in response, coldly said, “I am not a coach, Rachel. I don’t know. I am a player. I never went home with a coach before and after the game. I’m very sure. I have no idea.” But his reason for being this indifferent? Well, for that we have to go back to June.

Surrounding the 2024 NBA Draft, there was a lot of debate regarding Bronny James’ selection. While some backed the 20-year-old, many attacked the young gun. The Lakers No.55 pick struggled offensively in the Summer League and faced criticism on social media. Even though Nichols appeared to be defending Bronny, saying such high expectations were unfair on the 20-year-old.

Speaking on FS1’s Undisputed she said, “I think that people are looking at him as if he’s a top-10 pick. He’s not a top-10 pick. He is a No. 55 pick. The expectations for a No. 55 pick should be that you’re largely headed to the G-League and may get some games up in the NBA.” While she said Bronny’s upside was being a solid defensive guard, Nicolas flat-out said that she doesn’t see him becoming a star.

“Will he ever be a star? I don’t think so. It does not seem like just his size and some of the other things about the way he plays, I don’t think he’s a future star player.” Of course, it didn’t seem to sit well with LeBron James and he unfollowed on social media as per NBA Alerts.

Their recent interaction after the Lakers’ 118-119 loss to the Magic suggests there is still some friction between them, at least from James’ end. LeBron has been protective of his son, who had a cardiac arrest last year in July during a workout at USC. Back in February, when Bronny was dropped from ESPN’s 2024 NBA mock draft, it led to speculation over the then-19-year-old’s future. But his father rushed to his defense.

James tweeted, “Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball. The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!”

Well, Bronny’s hard work paid off as he was picked by the Lakers and made history when he stepped on the court with his father on October 25 against Minnesota, becoming the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA. Meanwhile, James’ relationship with Nichols might have hit a roadblock, but that wasn’t always the case.

LeBron James and Rachel Nichols’ relationship over the years

James had an influence on Rachel Nichols the job to co-host the shows, ‘Get Up’ and ‘NBA Countdown’. Michelle Beadle, who parted ways with ESPN in 2019, which enabled Nichols to replace her, indirectly said James influenced her exit. Last year, Beadle talked about her ESPN firing on the Awful Announcing podcast and said, “Yeah, you know, he’s a powerful dude. I mean, there’s no getting around that he is an empire and an entity upon himself. All the respect for building such a powerful entity on a name and doing it well. So yeah, people are going to listen.”

Apart from that, Nichols had backed the superstar multiple times on Live TV whenever there was any criticism. Notably, a few years ago, everyone criticized Bron for traveling to Miami to work out with his former teammates.

At that time, the veteran reporter backed the superstar, saying there was “no issue” with the then-Cavalier to train with his old buddies. This is one such example among the lot. However, the 51-year-old seemed to have run into issues with the Lakers great with her comments over Bronny.

Will Rachel Nichols make it up to Bron and rekindle their friendship? Let us know in the comments.