Did LeBron James get Michelle Beadle fired? Looking at former ESPN anchor's acrimonious departure

As a prominent figure in the NBA, many believe LeBron James has a strong power of influence. One former analyst feels the 20-time All-Star has so much sway that he played a role in here firing.

Michelle Beadle was a longtime member of ESPN and one time host of "NBA Countdown" before being fired. In her eyes, she feels that LeBron played a role in her deparutre.

While on the "Awful Announcing" podcast, Beadle talks about her departure from the major sports network. She brings up LeBron James, citing that her firing might have stemmed from some comments she made about him. Back in 2010, Beadle was very critical of his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.

"In all the chaos that ensued after I left, all this other information started coming out. I kind of got wind of it as I was leaving. And then more stuff came out and I was just like, ‘What a crap show,’" Beadle said.

“Yeah, you know, he’s (James) a powerful dude, I mean, there’s no getting around that he is an empire and an entity upon himself. All the respect for building such a powerful entity on a name and doing it well. So yeah, people are going to listen.”

While Beadle feels this way, it is all just her own opinion. There is no conrete information on if LeBron James actually had her fired from ESPN.

Michelle Beadle opens up on lone encounter with LeBron James

This podcast appearance was not the first time Michelle Beadle talked about her situation with LeBron James. On "The Sessions" podcast, she touched on how the LA Lakers star reached out to her on social media following her mockery of the decision.

According to Beadle, LeBron reached out to simply ask why she was so mean towards him while on television.

“This was a long time ago, I guess when I followed him, and I got a DM that was, ‘Why are you so mean to me on television?’ And I just sort of laughed it off, I didn’t even think about it,” Beadle said.

Later on, she ended up sharing her true thoughts about the NBA icon. She feels he spends too much time focusing on the small stuff and isn't sold on his persona.

“I have been vocal because my job entailed opinions on television, and I’ve never really cared for the way he conducts himself in most things,” she said. “I find it to be very fraudulent and passive aggressive, which is not my cup of tea.”

Hearing Beadle talk about LeBron in this manner arguably questions the legitimacy of her claims. Seeing that she is openly not fond of him as a person, she could just be using him as a target for her firing from ESPN.

In the end, we'll truly never know if LeBron truly had a hand in this departure.