LeBron James sent a cryptic tweet during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers that was aimed at one of his teammates – and it was later confirmed to be Kevin Love

LeBron James upset a former teammate with a cryptic tweet (Image: Getty Images)

Kevin Love has revealed how a cryptic tweet from his former teammate and NBA legend LeBron James left him feeling hurt.

The two basketball icons were teammates at the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, where Love had to make sacrifices playing alongside four-time NBA champion James and rising star Kyrie Irving. During the season, Love seemed to be the target of a teasing tweet from James, implying that the five-time All-Star needed to be more team-oriented.

James tweeted in February 2015: “Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be a part of something special! Just my thoughts.”

Although the recipient of James’ message was not explicitly named, it became clear that it was directed at Love, who confessed it upset him. Love recently featured on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, which has since resurfaced on social media.

He was asked about his reaction to James’ tweet as it was read out to him. Upon realising it was the tweet from his former teammate, Love began to laugh, confessing: “That hurt my feelings”.

When asked if the tweet was specifically aimed at him, the ex-Minnesota Timberwolves rookie responded. “I was majority that guy,” Love said. “It’s like 80 per cent Kevin Love, eight per cent Dion Waiters, three per cent Kyrie Irving,” he added, laughing.

Kevin Love admitted he was “hurt” by James’ social media message ( Image: Getty Images)

“It’s one of those things now that I look back and I probably did take it personal in the moment. It was tough for me, I had to adjust. All I wanted from those guys was the recognition like ‘that guy is sacrificing himself a lot.'”

James’ tweet stirred controversy among fans, with some accusing him of being a poor teammate and calling out Love publicly. One fan commented: “LeBron’s mostly a great leader but undeniably was passive aggressive in kind of a cringe way when he was frustrated at times throughout his career”.

Another fan harshly criticised: “Any rational adult would agree that was some unprofessional unhelpful passive aggressive ——–.” Meanwhile, a third defended the NBA icon: “You’re wrong if you think LeBron isn’t a good leader. Many NBA players themselves have said this over and over again. Just because Kevin Love got mistreated doesn’t change that.”

Despite initially taking James’ cryptic tweet to heart, Love has since reconciled any misunderstandings with his ex-teammate. Explaining the context, Love said: “That was only 20-30 games in when that tweet happened. I think he was trying to find ways to get the best out of me, get a rise out of me… There was a lot to that. But since then, Bron’s a brother.”

He also mentioned that he chose not to confront James about the tweet, focusing instead on his role in the team.