Rashard Lewis denies he had affair with LeBron James' fiancee
By Mike Beradino / MCT
Published 10 June 2011 11:22 PM
Apparently, it’s not enough for LeBron James to deal with questions of fourth-quarter "shrinkage" or a 3-2 deficit in these NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Over the past two days, the Miami Heat star forward had to deal with scurrilous, Houston radio-based rumors about an affair involving his fiancee, Savannah Brinson, and Washington Wizards player Rashard Lewis.
Lewis denied those rumors Friday on the same Houston radio station — 97.9 The Box — adding he’s never even met Brinson.
"I have no idea," Lewis said when asked why the rumors were circulating. "That’s what I’m trying to figure out. ... Now I come home and I hear the same rumors. ... Those rumors are 100 percent false. They’re not true. I don’t know how they came up."
A day earlier, a host on that same Houston station reportedly claimed to have "a very reliable source" in the Orlando, Fla., area, someone who was "all over the Tiger Woods issue" before it became public. This supposed source relayed word of a rumored tryst on South Beach between Brinson and Lewis, a former Orlando Magic player.
"Word got to him while at the bar," the host said of the mysterious source.
Great.
So now we’re going on the radio, passing along third-hand rumors heard at the local watering hole without ever attempting to get Lewis himself on the air?
Lewis said he reached out to James’ stepfather and assured him the rumors were "completely false."
"He said on their side of the camp, they know it’s not true," Lewis told host Qui West. "They don’t believe it. He told me not to worry about it at all."
Friday morning Lewis went on Houston radio to set the record straight. His best guess was the rumor began with anti-James forces who want to see him fail.
"They need to let the man play," Lewis said. "He’s trying to win a championship, and they’re putting all this negative stuff out about him, messing with his head. They need to leave the man alone and let him play. He’s in the NBA Finals. Let him go out there and win him a championship."
It was during last year’s playoffs that James had to deal with an unfounded rumor regarding his mother and Cavaliers teammate Delonte West.
James and West (now playing for Boston) hugged at the end of the Heat-Celtics series last month, leading many to conclude that 2010 rumor was equally baseless.
