Ex-NBA host Michelle Beadle claims LeBron James played a role in getting her fired: ‘He’s a powerful dude’

Former NBA Countdown host Michelle Beadle has accused LA Lakers superstar LeBron James of firing her from the show.

Beadle began hosting the program on ESPN in 2016 before her stint on the show was cut short in 2019 after three years.

The 47-year-old, who now works at Sirius

“I found out after I got fired,” Beadle said in an interview with Terrible announcement. “In all the chaos that followed after I left, all this other information came out. I got wind of it as I was leaving. And then more stuff came out and I thought, ‘What a show.’

She then doubled down on her suggestion that James played a role in her removal and replacement by Rachel Nichols.

Former NBA Countdown host Michelle Beadle (left) has accused LA Lakers superstar LeBron James (right) of firing her

Beadle, 47, left ESPN after several stints amid controversy in 2019

“Yeah, you know, he’s a powerful guy. I mean, there’s no denying that he’s an empire and an entity unto himself,” she said.

‘All respect for building such a powerful entity on a name and doing it well. So yes, people are going to listen.”

It is unknown whether the NBA’s all-time leading point scorer actually played a role in her firing.

Although she claimed James had strong input, Beadle suggested he wasn’t the only one who wanted her out.

When asked if she believes Nichols had a hand in her departure, she replied, “I mean, look, she’s not that powerful at the end of the day. But I think part of the story was specifically in the New York Post at the time. I knew where it came from. We all knew where it came from.”

Beadle was replaced by Rachel Nichols (pictured) during ESPN’s NBA Countdown

Beadle has stepped into her NBA Countdown role by replacing Sage Steele, who found himself in a firestorm for making conservative comments.

However, Beadle insisted that the circumstances were different and claimed that she did not have to resort to ‘underhandedness’.

“No, and I know that story was spread out there too,” Beadle said when asked if she was campaigning for Steele’s replacement.

‘I didn’t have to. The decisions that had been made had been made. I think your work should stand on its own and there shouldn’t be any underhanded practices and such behind it. It’s not a good way to do it.’