LeBron James admitted he was "surprised and caught off guard" when the Cleveland Cavaliers fired NBA head coach David Blatt.
James, addressing reporters Saturday morning, stressed he did not influence the Cavs' decision to replace Blatt with assistant Tyronn Lue despite the team leading the Eastern Conference with a 30-11 record.
At Friday's news conference, Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said the four-time MVP "doesn't run this organisation."
James said he was not involved with the decision despite the perception of his impact on coaching decisions.
"That's not my concern," James said.
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"I found out about it just like every other player on this team at 3:30 yesterday ... I think (Griffin) was right on everything he said ... Like it or love it or hate it, we got to respect it."
James reportedly was not a supporter of Blatt from the outset and team officials were aware of his sentiments.
The star has a strong relationship with Lue and often consulted with him on strategy during games.
"We've been friends since I was 17 years old, but at the end of the day, he's still the coach and I'm underneath him," James said.
Lue is in his second season with the Cavaliers after being hired as the associate head coach in June 2014.
He was previously an assistant coach on Doc Rivers' staff with the Los Angeles Clippers.
