Ex-ESPN commentator Pablo Torre makes bombshell LeBron James claim over Kobe Bryant memorial attendance

Podcaster Pablo Torre has produced a bombshell study regarding LeBron James' attendance astatine Kobe Bryant's 2020 memorial - citing aggregate sources who suggested helium was not there.

It has been a long-running statement whether oregon not James attended the memorial work pursuing the tragic chopper clang that killed Bryant, his girl Gianna and 7 others connected board.

And amid his caller feud with James, Stephen A. Smith decided to broach the subject, saying that the Lakers prima was not astatine Bryant's work earlier apologizing and retracting his claim.

Nonetheless, Smith's archetypal accusation led Torre -  formerly of ESPN and present of Meadowlark Media - to analyse the assertion connected his eponymous podcast, and his study casted superior uncertainty connected the thought that James was successful attendance.

Torre cited 2 'high level' sources progressive successful the readying of the event, who were successful attendance and said they did not spot James.

'There's nary f***ing mode helium was there,' 1 said. 'If helium was there, helium was Casper the Ghost.'

One assertion surrounding the event, which James was not photographed at, is that determination was immoderate benignant of directive to permission him disconnected the tv broadcast.

However, a pb shaper of the event, Renato Basile, told Pablo Torre Finds Out: 'The off-camera happening is bulls***.'

Another infinitesimal that fans person pointed to arsenic grounds of James being determination is erstwhile Diana Taurasi made a gag astir the subordinate earlier appearing to motion towards him successful the crowd.

However, Torre looked astatine camera angles from wherever James would person been sitting (based connected Taurasi's gesture), and helium was not seen successful the assemblage astatine assorted points of the service.

Furthermore, Torre confirmed with respective sources that Taurasi ne'er really saw James that day.

Several sources besides told Torre that James was not invited to talk astatine Bryant's memorial. James' representatives did not instrumentality a petition for remark from Pablo Torre Finds Out, and noted they were not discussing thing related to Smith.

All told, Torre's fact-checking - which progressive 8 sources - was slammed by definite fans online, though helium insisted afterwards that helium was not making immoderate benignant of judgement. 

'This isn't a motivation question astir whether LeBron should've been anywhere,' helium wrote connected X. 'It's fact-checking a elemental question that has been incorrectly reported and argued astir — down the scenes, and present successful nationalist — for a half-decade.'

Reports astatine the clip suggested that James was successful attendance.

The LA Times wrote on February 24 , 2020: 'Among the Lakers-related faces successful the audience: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Phil Jackson, Jerry West, Rick Fox and LeBron James. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors was there, arsenic was retired Boston Celtics prima Bill Russell. Other NBA players who were connected manus included James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Kuzma and Demar DeRozan.'

At the time, James' agent, Rich Paul, cryptically said that his lawsuit had spent the time of the memorial 'in his ain space.'

After helium was wide criticized for his assertion that James was not successful attendance astatine the memorial, Smith apologized connected X.

'My apologies and clarification. I misspoke successful Hour#1 of @FirstTake contiguous erstwhile I intimated that LeBron did not be Kobe Bryant 's memorial. I corrected myself successful Hour#2 erstwhile I acknowledged helium was so successful attendance,' helium wrote.

'My mistake. Should not person adjacent broached that subject. It was not my main point. I retract NOTHING other that I said. Have a bully day!'