Trae Young made it clear he is not happy that details about friction between himself and Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan became public, but insisted things were "all good".
A report from The Athletic's Shams Charania detailed an incident where McMillan had not approved Young's decision to skip a team shootaround to focus on treatment for his minor shoulder injury.
It is said to have resulted in an ultimatum, with McMillan telling Young he would have to come off the bench if he wanted to play against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, with the 24-year-old two-time All-Star instead deciding to not show up altogether.
The Hawks officially attributed Young's absence to his shoulder injury, before the report brought new information to light, prompting McMillan to call the whole fiasco a "miscommunication".
The report also included a line citing anonymous sources saying "it's the latest situation that has caused many people within the Hawks to question Young's leadership approach" – pointing to similar friction between Young and former head coach Lloyd Pierce as a main factor behind his departure.
In his first media appearance since the news broke, Young said he was frustrated it all became public.
"It's hard for people who don't know the full situation to understand it," he said on Monday. "Like I said, it's a private matter made public, which was unfortunate. If it stayed private it probably wouldn't have been as big of a deal.
"It's unfortunate. My job and my goal is to win a championship, and that's all I'm focused on.
"When you're an outside guy like [reporters] are, and you don't understand a private matter and private situation, you should probably stay on the outside.
"It's unfortunate that everybody has to understand and know a little bit of the details that went on inside. I mean, inside here we're all good.
"If you've got any more questions about that you can talk to somebody else about it. That's all I've got to say about it."
The Hawks ended up with an impressive win against the Nuggets, with rookie A.J. Griffin taking advantage of his opportunity in the starting line-up to score a career-high 24 points.
LeBron James: Playing with son Bronny 'means everything'
LeBron James said sharing the court with his son Bronny was one of the greatest things a father could wish for after the pair teamed up for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
On his 20th birthday, Bronny – the 55th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft – appeared alongside his father in the second quarter of the Lakers' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns.
They became the first father-son duo to ever play in any NBA game as the Lakers were beaten 118-114.
LeBron finished with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes in the Lakers' 118-114 loss, while Bronny missed his only shot attempt in 13 score-less minutes and had two boards with four turnovers.
"For a father, it means everything," LeBron James said after the game in Palm Desert, California.
"For someone who didn't have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have an influence on your son...
"Be able to have moments with your son, and ultimately, to be able to work with your son... I think that's one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for."
LeBron almost delivered an assist for Bronny, who narrowly missed a 3-pointer off a dribble handoff from his father.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said: "I was really hoping that wing 3 on the little side had gone in. That would have been a cool moment, but they'll have a lot of moments together, I'm sure.
"I just wanted to get them a chance to play together in preseason, within the flow of the game," Redick said. "I'm thrilled that I get to be a part of this. I really am.
"It's cool as a basketball fan. I think it speaks to LeBron's longevity, but also his competitive stamina that he's able to still be doing this in Year 22.
"It speaks to the work that Bronny has put in to get to this point and really just the fatherly care and love, and certainly the motherly care from Savannah as well. Bronny's such a great kid and he's a pleasure to be around."
Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest while a freshman at USC last July, and he feels that experience helped him shut out the noise on his historic outing.
"It's just taking everything that has happened to me during this year, getting up and continuing to work every day," he said.
"It's just about finding fuel every day to get up and start working. JJ has really emphasised the defensive end and being a pest on defense. So that's what I've been trying to focus on when stepping on the floor."
LeBron, Bronny play first game together
It will be a birthday to remember for Bronny James - and for his father, as well.
LeBron James and Bronny made NBA history, becoming the first father and son to play in an NBA game at the same time in the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday in Palm Desert, California.
Not only did they become the first father-son duo to play in any NBA game, they played as team-mates.
Bronny entered the game as a substitute at the beginning of the second quarter to join his dad on the court.
The memorable moment also came on Bronny's 20th birthday.
The older James will turn 40 in December, but is still at the top of his game. He's set to begin his record-tying 22nd season in the NBA after averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games for the Lakers in 2023-24.
Bronny, who was selected with the 55th pick in this year's draft, is expected to spend much of this season in the G League, but will almost certainly have an opportunity to play alongside his father with the Lakers at some point in the 2024-25 season.
Liberty oust two-time defending champion Aces in semifinals; Sun force Game 5 vs. Lynx
There will be no three-peat in the WNBA this season after the New York Liberty eliminated the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces with a 76-62 victory in Game 4 of the semi-finals on Sunday.
Sabrina Ionescu paced four players in double figures with 22 points for the Liberty, who won the first two games of the best-of-five series before the Aces took Game 3 to avoid being swept.
A’ja Wilson led the way for Las Vegas with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots after winning her record-tying third WNBA MVP Award last month.
New York will next meet the Minnesota Lynx or Connecticut Sun as it tries to win its first NBA title after losing each of its previous five trips to the WNBA Finals.
The Sun pulled out a 92-82 win over the Lynx later Sunday to stave off elimination and even up their semi-final series at two games apiece. Game 5 will be on Tuesday.
Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 18 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, while Napheesa Collier carried Minnesota, finishing with 29 points and 13 boards.
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