National Basketball Association

James clears up contraction remarks

Published Dec. 27, 2010 5:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

LeBron James is clarifying remarks he made about contraction and the NBA.

Speaking after Heat practice Monday, James said he ''didn't mean to upset anybody'' when he called the NBA ''watered down'' last week and that the league was more popular in the 1980s because there were fewer teams and thus more stars on the top squads.

James referenced Minnesota's Kevin Love and New Jersey's Brook Lopez and Devin Harris when making his comments last week in Phoenix. On Monday, he insisted he was not suggesting that the Timberwolves and Nets should be shut down.

James says he ''didn't say let's abandon the Nets and not let them move to Brooklyn, or let's tear down the Target Center in Minnesota. I never said that. Never said that, all right.''