LeBron James called out the media on his Mind the Game podcast for not doing enough to tell the stories behind the players in the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash, LeBron James voiced frustration with the way the media is handling coverage of the Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Player of the Game
Tyrese Haliburton
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Tyrese Haliburton
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Los Angeles Lakers star called for more effort and responsibility in highlighting the journeys and narratives of the players involved.
“We all have a story,” James said. “And there is a lot of stories that could be told on the OKC roster and on the Pacers roster. And it’s like, do the guys that preach our game, do they want to do the homework and take the time out to actually tell these stories?”
“And it doesn’t seem way. It’s just, ‘what can I say without truth or without knowledge’ or ‘this is what I want to say’ and there’s no accountability behind it,” he added.
James emphasized the role media plays in shaping how fans understand the league, especially during the NBA’s biggest stage.
“That now goes to our fans. We have to protect our players, protect our product, and also bring awareness. I think our game is also about storytelling. We have to tell the stories of our players, of how they got there, why they’re there, the journey it took for them to get there.”
While Game 1 drew just 8.91 million viewers — the lowest for a Finals opener — the on-court action has lived up to the hype for true basketball fans.
The Pacers now hold a 2-1 series lead after a 116-107 win in Game 3. Bennedict Mathurin was the spark off the bench, dropping 27 points, while Tyrese Haliburton added 22 and controlled the tempo.
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