No, LeBron James did not issue a response to Colby Covington’s remarks over the weekend, contrary to a story circulating over the internet.
Following UFC on ESPN+ 36, Colby Covington spoke to reporters following his dominant victory over Tyron Woodley. “I want to dedicate this fight to all the first responders, all the military out there,” Covington said in his post-fight interview. “This world would not be safe without you guys, you keep us safe, and not these woke athletes. I’m sick of these spineless cowards like LeBron James.”
Another victory over the weekend was the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals due to a game-winning shot by Anthony Davis at the buzzer. In a scrum following the event, LeBron James allegedly responded to Colby Covington’s remarks by stating the following:
“Anybody can talk from outside but if they got into the ring or got into the arena, probably 10 times out of 10, they’d shit their pants.”
This sound bite was pulled from James, but what was not included in the sound bite, of course, was what specific question he was responding to. It turns out that James’s comments were in response to a question about athletes, like James’s teammate Anthony Davis, rising to the occasion under the pressure of big moments. Sadly, this is yet another example of how quickly it is for some journalists and media members to run with a story for clicks and, even more sadly, how easily the public can be duped.
The question that James responded to can be found at approximately the 8:57 of this video of the full scrum, which made no mention to Colby Covington whatsoever.
Tip: If something seems questionable, look into it and see if you can verify the information yourself through the primary source.
