Ex-Bulls Star Calls Out 'Weak' NBA Media Led by LeBron James' Former Teammates and Supporters

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In the summer of 2023, ESPN laid off Jalen Rose after a 15-year run. During that period and beyond, LeBron James is still dominating the news cycle, even entering season No. 24. Not everyone is impressed, including former Chicago Bulls player Jalen Rose.

Rose, on social media, tweeted his thoughts to his over 1.5 million followers on today’s NBA media coverage.

“NBA coverage has become so weak,” he wrote. “It’s now led by men/women who didn’t play, or LeBron stans/former teammates.”

This comes during an offseason in which LeBron James’ free agency dominated every major platform for nearly two months straight.

Richard Jefferson, a teammate on the 2016 Cleveland championship team, is now one of ESPN’s most prominent NBA voices. Channing Frye, another member of that same Cavaliers roster, co-hosts Road Trippin.

Dave McMenamin has spent years as the “fans-acclaimed” LeBron reporter. Rose himself once praised James extensively during his ESPN tenure, making his tweet less about the player and more about a media that is based on personal relationships and loyalty rather than independent analysis.

He went further to agree with analyst Colin Cowherd’s criticism of LeBron James. He tweeted:

“Colin is a G and owns multiple athletes shows. I respect him.”

Cowherd on The Herd wasn’t pleased that James is still competing in season No. 24, saying, “Michael Jordan played for 9 years and said, ‘I need a break it’s too much…this is overwhelming.’ LeBron’s like, ‘year 24, bring it on.’ Think about that.”

Cowherd has been one of the more vocal national media figures criticizing LeBron James, particularly around his move to the Philadelphia 76ers.

He asserted that “LeBron will make you a worse defensive team,” citing tracking data indicating he is among the league’s slowest players. He argued that Philadelphia would have to compensate defensively for his presence.

When LeBron’s free agency stretched into July before ultimately choosing Philadelphia, Cowherd criticized how long the process took. On The Herd, he referred to it as LeBron’s “in-decision.”

LeBron’s move to Philadelphia generated weeks of coverage. Most analysts talked about the move or built segments around the emotional weight of his decision.

Rose spent 15 years at ESPN building a reputation as someone unafraid to say the uncomfortable things. He was one of the first to publicly challenge the Fab Five documentary’s selective retelling of history, and he didn’t shy away from disagreeing with colleagues on air.

His question now is whether today’s NBA analysts are willing to show that same independence, to criticize the players, coaches, and executives they know personally, even when it’s uncomfortable.

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