Kyrie Irving Says He Apologized To LeBron James, Wants To “Empower” Jaylen Brown & Celtics [VIDEO]

Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving is trying to make amends after criticizing his young teammates earlier this week.

Irving Also Responded To Jaylen Brown

The five-time NBA All-Star said in a press conference Saturday that he believes his team’s younger players “don’t know what it takes to be a championship-level team.”

One Celtics player who took offense to this comment is third-year guard Jaylen Brown, who fired back at 26-year-old Irving by saying the whole team needs to be held “more accountable.”

“We just have to have each other’s backs at the end of the day,” said Brown. “We can’t make comments, we can’t point fingers.”

The Athletic’s Jay King also tweeted Irving’s response to Brown’s remark.

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“I’ve gotta empower them,” Irving said of his teammates. [Brown] was right.”

Irving also told NBCSports Boston about his apology to former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James. During the stretch the two played together on the Cavs, Irving reportedly disliked James’ leadership and was disgruntled over the fact that he himself couldn’t be the one to lead the team to success.

“I’ll tell you one thing, and obviously this is something that it was a big deal for me because I had to call Bron and tell him, ‘I apologize for being that young player that wanted to everything at his fingertips, and I wanted everything to be at my threshold. I wanted to be the guy that led us to championships. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to be all that,'” said Irving.

He continued: “And the responsibility of being the best player in the world and leading a team is something that’s not meant for many people. And Bron was one of those guys that came to Cleveland and tried to really show us what it’s like to win a championship. And it was hard for him. And sometimes getting the most out of the group, it’s not the easiest thing in the world.”