LeBron James-Memphis beef, explained: Why NBA star’s appearance on YouTube show rubbed Grizzlies fans wrong originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
LeBron James has shared some insight into one NBA city he isn’t much of a fan of:
Memphis.
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The Los Angeles Lakers star, in a recent appearance on the “Bob Does Sports” YouTube show, took some digs at the home of the Grizzlies. He clarified that it wasn’t about the people who live in Memphis, but rather the travel aspect of going to the city as an NBA player, also listing Milwaukee as an unfavorable destination.
James’ comments received some criticism, especially from those close to Memphis — including the city’s mayor.
Here’s what James said about Memphis, how he responded to the backlash and more.
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LeBron James-City of Memphis beef, explained
James recently had a rare in-depth media appearance on the YouTube show “Bob Does Sports,” where he was asked about traveling in the NBA at the age of 41 and a longtime star. James’ response specifically targeted Memphis and Milwaukee.
“A random f—ing Tuesday in Milwaukee,” James said. “Staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old. You think I want to do that s—? Being in Memphis on a f—ing random a– Thursday? I’m not like the first guy to even talk about it in the NBA.”
James, who said he might have “not showed up” if he was drafted by the Grizzlies in 2003, also suggested that the team shouldn’t be in Memphis and should be relocated to Nashville, Tennessee.
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“[NBA players are] all like, ‘You guys have to move. Go over to Nashville.’ You got Vanderbilt over there,” James said. “You got NASCAR. You got a stadium. Don’t they got a hockey team, too?”
Those comments from the NBA legend were not taken kindly from some people close to Memphis.
Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo was one of the NBA figures who pushed back on the Memphis crticism.
“I can say from my own perspective that I have the complete opposite, 180-degree perspective on that,” Iisalo said, per ESPN. “The Memphis where we have arrived less than two years ago has been very warm. Very welcoming.”
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Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, who was an assistant in Memphis before taking over as head coach in Toronto, also spoke on James’ comments.
“I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. I love the people of Memphis,” Rajakovic said, per ESPN. “I love the food. I love every single time I come over here.”
Additionally, the mayor of Memphis, Paul Young, responded to James’ criticism by inviting the Lakers star to the city. In a Facebook post that also highlighted Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins’ debate on “First Take” about James’ words about Memphis, Young said he would show James the “culture and powerful investment opportunities” of Memphis.
“I would welcome the chance to turn your criticism into action in one of the most important cities in the world,” Young wrote. “Come to Memphis and roll around with me for a bit, and I will show you some of the culture and powerful investment opportunities in our City. Let’s do something epic in one of the largest majority Black cities in the nation!”
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What is Bob Does Sports?
Bob Does Sports is a YouTube gold channel that follows Robby Berger (Bobby Fairways) and his friends Nick Stubbe (Fat Perez) and Joseph Demare (Joey Coldcuts), with over one million subscribers on the platform.
The account has had athletes featured in the past, including Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold and Bills QB Kyle Allen in 2024.
On Apr. 2, a video featuring James playing a round of golf was released by the account.
MORE:The best moments from LeBron James’ “Bob Does Sports” appearance
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LeBron James comments on backlash
On Saturday, James was asked a follow-up question about his Memphis comments. He made sure to point out that he had also mentioned Milwaukee as a difficult travel spot in the NBA, clarifying that he wasn’t speaking about the people in either city, but simply that those are two places he does not enjoy playing in.
“Milwaukee was, too. Did they miss that one, too? They didn’t see that?” James said. “41 years old, it’s two cities I do not like playing in right now. That’s Milwaukee, and that’s Memphis. What is the problem?”
James also went as far to say that he’d include Cleveland on his list of unfavorable traveling destinations, “and I’m from there.”
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“I don’t like going home either … and I’m from there,” James said. “People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son being on the [Lakers], too. So what are we talking about? People need to figure out other ways to put their energy to other things that’s important. Like seriously? I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric. What’s wrong with that? Nothing! What are we talking about? … People need to chill the hell out.”
Memphis Grizzlies attendance numbers
According to ESPN, the Grizzlies rank 29th among the 30 NBA teams in total attendance for the 2025-26 season so far, with 615,489 fans in total.
The Grizzlies, currently the only major professional sports team in the city of Memphis, were originally established in Vancouver, Canada, in 1995. The franchise moved to Memphis after the 2000-01 season.