Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reportedly had a heated exchange in their locker room on Tuesday night, but both of them denied such incident.
ESPN reported that that James and Irving "exchanged words" in front of their teammates, which led to the superstar point guard leaving their locker room early without giving reporters a chance to interview him.
James expressed frustration after their 101-82 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, but the four-time Most Valuable Player denied that he had a heated discussion with Irving following the blowout defeat.
"Those reports are untrue," James said of the alleged locker-room dispute via USA Today. "We have not had a verbal exchange. But I understand that negativity sells. No one wants to hear a good story. Those reports are not true - very false."
Irving, who has been a subject of criticisms over their first four games this season, also mocked the report. When asked about the alleged exchange of words, the 22-year-old point guard had a sarcastic reply to reporters.
"It was over Survivor's Remorse and Family Guy," Irving said. "That's what it was about. Obviously, he's going to feel strongly about Survivor's Remorse. It's his show. But I love Family Guy. Words were said. No blows this time. But it's awesome for our team."
The rumored dispute stemmed from James' statement, criticizing his teammates for developing "bad habits" over the past several seasons. He said: "There's a lot of bad habits, a lot of bad habits been built up the past couple years. When you play that style of basketball, it takes a lot to get it up out of you."
While James did not name names, most fans and NBA analysts are convinced that the 29-year-old superstar took a swipe at Irving and shooting guard Dion Waiters for their tendency to take the matter into their own hands instead of playing team basketball.
Following their blowout loss the Trail Blazers, the Cavaliers took a 102-100 loss against the Utah Jazz. After the game, James criticized their performance as a team after posting just six assists for the entire game.
"You just can't explain," James said of their low assist total. "There's no way you're going to win a basketball game like that, just having six assists. We just can't win like that, and we got to figure out a way to help each other and not make it so tough."
