Eight Sources Tell Pablo Torre LeBron James Did Not Attend Kobe Bryant's Memorial Service

Last month, Stephen A. Smith threatened to reveal why LeBron James did not attend Kobe Bryant's memorial service in 2020 as part of their ongoing WWE-like feud.

"I suggest that [LeBron] be happy with the things that I haven't brought up," Smith said on First Take. "I never brought up really and never really discussed why you were not at Kobe Bryant's memorial service."

Smith backtracked after Community Notes fact-checked his claim, citing an article from the Los Angeles Times reporting that James was in attendance, along with former NBA players like Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Jackson, and Jerry West.

But unlike the other former players the article referenced, there were no pictures of James at the service. A reporter asked LeBron in 2020 if he was there, and he responded, "I’d appreciate it if we could move on."

Oh.

This week, Pablo Torre discussed the mystery and curiosity around James' attendance, or lack thereof, on his podcast. Torre spoke to eight sources with knowledge of the situation, who concluded that "there's no fucking way he was there."

"If he was there, he was Casper the Ghost," a source added.

Torre explained that a point of confusion remains in Diana Taurasi mentioning James while on stage at the service and gesturing to her right as if he were sitting close to the stage. However, Torre's reporting could not locate James anywhere near the vicinity toward which she gestured. His sources add that Taurasi never came across James at the service.

There are also claims James was hidden away from the public during the memorial to avoid being a distraction. A source told Torre, "The off-camera thing is bullshit."

"To reiterate what I reiterate in today's @pablofindsout : This isn't a moral question about whether LeBron should've been anywhere. It's fact-checking a simple question that has been incorrectly reported and argued about — behind the scenes, and now in public — for a half-decade," Torre said in an X post Friday.

Fair. You can listen to the full episode here.

What's more, the tea leaves suggest there is more to the story than a basketball player simply choosing not to attend the memorial service of another. 

Before Smith mistakenly backtracked, he implied there was a juicy reason why James skipped the service. James' refusal to confirm whether he was there indicates the same.

You also have to wonder why various news outlets, like the LA Times, have falsely reported on James' attendee for five years.

Bizarre. All of it.

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