After the Boston Celtics' 117-108 home victory against the Toronto Raptors, Kyrie Irving told reporters that he called former teammate and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James to apologize because he didn't realize how hard it can be to lead a young core of players.

The Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak during which the team looked more dysfunctional than ever. Irving was seen jawing at teammate Gordon Hayward in their 105-103 loss to the Orlando Magic on Jan. 12.

ESPN's Chris Forsberg reports after the win over the Raptors that Kyrie Irving chose to call LeBron James because of his status as one of the best, if not the best, leaders in the NBA today.

“The responsibility of being the best in the world and leading your team is something that is not meant for many people. … Only few are meant for it, or chosen for it, and I feel like the best person to call was him.”

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Irving took the Orland loss particularly hard as it was reported that he sat silently at his locker staring ahead long after the rest of the team had left the locker room. He also called out his younger teammates for their lack of experience in playing championship-level basketball.

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James played together for the Cleveland Cavaliers for three seasons before the former requested a trade. During that time, James made several comments about Irving that sounded very similar to the one the star guard made about his teammates.

Despite this, the two were able to defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors to bring the Cavs their first professional sports title in 52 years.