LeBron James’ Faulty “Friendships” With JJ Redick and More Exposed by ESPN Employee

Is LeBron James the kind of friend who cannot be counted on to last for a long run? LeBron has shared a friendly bond with multiple NBA athletes over his career so far. However, sports writer for ESPN’s official website, Brian Windhorst, has recently stated what, according to him, has been a fault with these bonds. This came from Windhorst as a reference to JJ Redick and his probabability of becoming the LA Lakers’ coach. 

Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, the 46-year-old pointed out how LeBron James’ friendships in the league do not last for a long time. “… I would say to JJ, if he asks my opinion… LeBron’s friendships in the NBA, for the most part, tend to fall out as quick as they start… The true close people in his life have been close people in his life for 15 or 20 years,” the ESPN employee said. 

However, he highlighted that this is not just for Redick but for anyone from the NBA. As for his statement about LeBron being in touch with ‘true close people’ for over a decade, he probably meant the Banana Boat Crew. The crew is a name for the group of friends, including LeBron, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul.

And this is something even LeBron James himself agreed to in the past. “… I’ve got three very good friends in this league, and that’s Carmelo, and that’s CP (Chris Paul), and that’s D-Wade. And after that I have a bunch of teammates,” he told Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group in 2015.

Coming back to Brian Windhorst, he had more to say on LeBron and the Lakers that JJ Redick may want to hear. Notably, this whole discussion on LeBron’s friendships started with a discussion on his involvement in the Lakers’ coach hiring process.

Brian Windhorst’s opinion of LeBron James’ involvement in coach-hiring for the Lakers

During his appearance on the ‘Dan Patrick Show’, Windhorst had yet another message for JJ Redick. “What I would say to JJ is… LeBron doesn’t get involved in coaching hires. For years, for many many coaches, he’s always taken a distance,” the ESPN employee said. He further stated that the King does not want to take the responsibility of this decision into his hands.

“So it’s not going to be like he’s going to go into Rob Pelinka and say, hey, I’m having a great time with JJ. You should hire him. That’s just not reality,” Windhorst stated. It is worth mentioning that a few weeks back, Rashad McCants on Gil’s Arena, claimed LeBron James is “coaching JJ to be the coach”. He believes this move will further the growth of their ‘Mind the Game’ podcast.

McCants spotlighted that LeBron James coaching Redick is visible from the discussions the two have. “They talk about the game like, yo, you know, this what I would do. LeBron, I’ll give you the ball right here, and it works,” McCants said. However, Windhorst’s recent claims counter the claims of Rashad McCants. Now only the coach hiring process and the outcome will reveal which claims were more accurate.