Michelle Beadle hasn’t ever shied away from making her voice heard in the sports media landscape, and her latest comments continue that tradition. The former ESPN personality targeted Kendrick Perkins’ recent comments about LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, sparking a round of heated conversation among sports personalities, especially after her recent back-and-forth with Stephen A. Smith.

“Kendrick Perkins said that when he returns, he’s got to take a backseat to the best duo in the NBA,” Beadle said on Run It Back. She references Perkins’ comments from a week ago; On ESPN, Perkins was asked what LeBron’s role should be on the Lakers once he finally makes his debut for the season following his sciatica rehab.

Beadle’s co-host Chandler Parsons fired back, saying, “I don’t think LeBron needs to come and fit in… He’s still going to be LeBron when he comes back. And Austin Reeves knows that. And Luka knows that, although this is now his team.”

Beadle also added on, supporting Parsons’ comments, firing back a heated remark: “To even remotely have this argument with a serious face and be like, well, how’s LeBron James going to fit in? You sound dumb. Like, truly.”

Perkins had claimed that LeBron would have to take a back seat to what he saw as the best duo in the league. He said, “Luka is averaging 41, 11, and 8. Austin Reeves is top five in scoring, averaging 31, and top five in the league in assists, averaging nine. He’s playing at an All-NBA level.”

Austin Reaves has also logged a career-high 51-point, near-triple-double performance in a game without both LeBron and Doncic, and the Lakers currently sit at a comfortable 8-3 record.

Beadle’s pushback reframes the debate, highlighting the difference in status between Reaves and LeBron, and also points to the change in LeBron’s playing style from the previous season.

After the Lakers acquired Doncic, James switched to a more off-ball role, letting Reaves and Doncic set up the veteran for easy buckets while poking holes in the defense with their combination of scoring and elite playmaking, and Reaves himself isn’t worried.

This is an odd juncture for Beadle, who has publicly feuded with James before. She deems her criticism of LeBron’s 2010 special as the origin of the beef, saying back in 2022, “I made fun of ‘The Decision,’ and I was one of about a bazillion people that did.”

She also admitted in 2021, “He does not like me, and I honestly have stopped trying to figure out why. For some reason, it goes back years. I’ve been around Maverick Carter, he refused to shake my hand.” For her to come to James’ defense is not something anyone would have expected.

For Beadle, this is just the latest in a series of high-profile back-and-forth interactions with ESPN analysts, stemming from a feud she reignited with famous ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith.

Michelle Beadle Slams Stephen A. Smith Over Papaya Gaming Controversy

Michelle Beadle targeted Stephen A. Smith recently after he recently revealed his involvement with Papaya Gaming. Smith became the official ambassador for Papaya’s “World Solitaire Championship” following pictures of him playing solitaire during the NBA Finals went viral.

However, it was soon discovered that the promotion was tied to the mobile app Solitaire Cash, which was under scrutiny for allegedly running gambling-like contests and using automated bots in skill-based competitions.

Beadle was a vocal critic of Smith, saying on the Beadle and Decker podcast, “Honestly, I’m not a religious person, but I pray for the downfall… It’s gross, man. You gotta have principles in this thing.” She also accused ESPN of enabling him: “ESPN pays him a gazillion dollars to get a lot of stuff wrong and yell… He made you look like fools for handing him a blank check in the first place.”

Smith wasn’t the only person facing backlash for promoting Papaya. ESPN colleague Mina Kimes called her involvement with the scheme a “colossal f—up” and promised to donate any compensation received.

Smith dismissed Beadle’s comments saying, “I have not said a word about [her] in over 11 years … I don’t know this woman at all. She’s talking about ethics and work ethic — and she has none of it.”