LeBron James was surprised by David Griffin's comments.
Griffin told Sports Illustrated he was “miserable” during his time as the Cavaliers general manager, which “shocked” James, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified sources close to the star. James was playing with Cleveland while Griffin was in the front office.
Griffin told Sports Illustrated he knew he was going to leave the Cavaliers after they won the championship in 2016. He parted ways with the team about one year later.
"Everything we did was so inorganic and unsustainable and, frankly, not fun. I was miserable," Griffin said. "Literally the moment we won the championship I knew I was going to leave. There was no way I was going to stay for any amount of money."
James appeared to respond to Griffin on Twitter shortly after Sports Illustrated’s story was published.
Alright alright. Enough is enough. The throne has been played with to much and I ain’t for horseplay. Ether coming soon! 😁🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👑 #JamesGang✊🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 1, 2019
James eventually left the Cavaliers and inked a four-year, $153.3 million deal with the Lakers in July 2018. He averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists during his first season with Los Angeles, but a groin injury limited him to 55 games.
Griffin, meanwhile, was hired as the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations in April. He helped rebuild New Orleans' roster by sending star Anthony Davis to the Lakers in exchange for Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and three first-round picks.
The Pelicans also signed Derrick Favors and JJ Redick this offseason and selected former Duke star Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.