ESPN's Dave McMenamin Follows LeBron James to the Sixers
ESPN's Dave McMenamin, who has covered LeBron James since his 2014 return to Cleveland, will transition to Philadelphia this season to cover James and the 76ers — a move that also brings McMenamin back to the team he grew up watching.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin Follows LeBron James to the Sixers
For the better part of 12 years, one of the surest ways to know what LeBron James was thinking was to follow ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Now, as James begins a new chapter with the Philadelphia 76ers, McMenamin is packing up again. After eight seasons covering the Los Angeles Lakers, the veteran NBA reporter will transition to covering James in Philadelphia this season, and the move carries a personal twist: it brings him back to the team he grew up watching.
A Beat Built Around One Player
Few reporters in sports media have had a career so closely tied to a single athlete. McMenamin began covering James full-time in 2014, when the four-time MVP returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Rather than track the story from afar, McMenamin relocated to Cleveland to cover the team and its franchise player for ESPN.
When James signed with the Lakers in 2018, McMenamin followed him west. That move is when the "city to city" pattern truly took shape, although McMenamin had already spent years documenting James up close. The Philadelphia assignment marks the third stop in that journey and perhaps the most meaningful one for the reporter himself.
Los Angeles Roots Before LeBron
McMenamin's time in Southern California did not begin with James. According to his ESPN bio, he covered the Lakers and the NBA in Los Angeles from 2009 to 2014, a stretch that included the final championship runs of the Kobe Bryant era. He then covered the Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018 before returning to the Lakers beat when James arrived.
In a 2020 conversation with Legends of Sport, McMenamin reflected on how his career started at NBA.com and shared memories of both James and Bryant. Those experiences made him one of the few journalists with an inside view of two of the defining stars of their generation.
LeBron's Move to Philadelphia
James' decision to sign with the 76ers this past offseason stunned much of the basketball world. After seven seasons in Los Angeles, the league's all-time leading scorer chose a new home on the East Coast, setting up one of the most talked-about storylines of the upcoming season.
For ESPN, keeping McMenamin attached toJames was a natural call. His sourcing, familiarity with the player's inner circle and long history of reporting on James' decisions make him the network's go-to voice whenever the superstar is involved.
A Homecoming for McMenamin
What makes this transition unique is that Philadelphia is not just another city on the map for McMenamin. The Sixers are the team he followed growing up, and he admitted that covering them this closely is something he never expected. Speaking with PHLY Sixers, he shared his excitement about the opportunity:
"I never envisioned having a chance to cover the Sixers this exclusively…to get to see what the city is like embracing this team over the course of the season, I'm looking forward to it.""I never envisioned having a chance to cover the Sixers this exclusively...to get to see what the city is like embracing this team over the course of the season, I'm looking forward to it."
— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) October 2, 2026
- @mcten on getting to closely cover the team he grew up watching
😤😤 pic.twitter.com/Bf2vBqeRw1
The quote captures both sides of the assignment. Professionally, he continues a beat he has owned for more than a decade. Personally, he gets a front-row seat to how one of the NBA's most passionate fan bases responds to having James in its corner.
What It Means for Sixers Fans
Philadelphia fans can expect a steady stream of insider reporting as the season unfolds. McMenamin's coverage has long focused on more than box scores, offering context on locker room dynamics, player health and the decisions that shape a franchise. With James joining a team eager to contend, that perspective could prove especially valuable.
It also gives the Sixers a national spotlight unlike anything the franchise has seen in years. Every James milestone, injury update and postgame comment will draw attention, and McMenamin will be there to translate it for fans across the country.
The Next Chapter
From Cleveland to Los Angeles and now Philadelphia, McMenamin's career has mirrored the path of one of basketball's greatest players. This time, though, the road leads somewhere familiar. As James chases another run in a new uniform, the reporter who has followed him for years will be doing it in the city that first made him a basketball fan.