LeBron James says he was told of Erin Popovich's death prior to live interview with TNT

Tom Gatto

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LeBron James says he was told of Erin Popovich's death prior to live interview with TNT image

TNT found itself at the center of a media debate Wednesday night after reporter Allie LaForce asked LeBron James on live TV to react to the death of Erin Popovich, wife of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

LaForce's question came at the end of her postgame interview with James, who had just led the Cavaliers to a Game 2 victory over the Pacers in their NBA playoff series. James and Popovich have developed a friendship from their time together in the league and with USA Basketball.

MORE: NBA community offers condolences to Gregg Popovich

TNT and LaForce were criticized for having what appeared to be poor timing, but James said late Wednesday (via his media company UNINTERRUPTED) that LaForce broke the news to him prior to the interview and asked him if he wanted to comment.

TNT's Ernie Johnson, host of "Inside the NBA," reported the same scenario on the air late Wednesday.

Long before James' tweet and Johnson's report, however, TNT and LaForce were being faulted:

This article has been updated to reflect the comments of James and Johnson.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.