LeBron says he was informed of Erin Popovich's death prior to interview

Following the Cleveland Cavaliers' 100-97 Game 2 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, LeBron James was seemingly put on the spot by TNT reporter Allie LaForce when informed about the recent death of Gregg Popovich's wife, Erin.

This bothered many on social media, who felt it was unprofessional to blindside James with that news live on the air.

Related: Twitter aghast over media asking NBA players about Erin Popovich's death

However, after offering his condolences to Popovich and the rest of the coach's family later that evening on his Uninterrupted platform, James said LaForce had told him prior to his postgame interview that she was going to bring up Erin's death.

"Once I started talking about it, once we were on air, actually my emotions just kinda took over, and that was just my emotions coming straight from my heart about the late Erin Popovich," James said.