Pat McAfee Takes Clear Shot At 'Race-Baiting' ESPN Analyst

03/28/2025 10:09 AM

Earlier this week, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James had an extensive interview with Pat McAfee. The future Hall of Famer was willing to comment on just about every subject possible, including his rivalry with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

During his appearance on McAfee's show, James mocked Smith for dragging out their feud with countless rants on First Take. He even compared the charismatic ESPN personality to Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift. 

"He's like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now," James said. "It started off with, 'I didn't want to address it … but since the video came out I feel the need to address it.'" 

James also criticized NBA insider Brian Windhorst during his time on McAfee's show. He said, "This guy who says he's my [expletive] best friend. These guys are just weird." 

Some people ripped James for how he conducted himself on McAfee's show. Others questioned him for even sitting down with the former NFL star. 

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins questioned James on national television for collaborating with former players such as Steve Nash and JJ Redick on his Mind the Game podcast. 

McAfee is clearly aware of all the things being said on social media. That's why he decided to address the narratives this Friday morning. 

"Good morning beautiful people," McAfee wrote. "I still can't believe LeBron had a conversation with a white guy the other day."

That comment from McAfee will definitely turn a few heads this weekend, make no mistake about it. For what it's worth, Smith isn't mad at his ESPN colleague. 

"Congratulations to Pat McAfee," Smith said. "First of all, anybody would've gotten that interview — I take no issue with the job that Pat McAfee did, having LeBron James on his show — anybody would've done that. The questions that he asked was more than appropriate. Outstanding job by him and his team, no doubt about that."

As for Perkins, we're not sure if he'll be offended by McAfee's tweet. 

Related: Pat McAfee Family Has Received Disturbing Death Threats