ESPN announcer Mike Breen apologizes after LeBron James refutes on-air story about him and Joel Embiid

Longtime ESPN NBA play-by-play announcer Mike Breen apologized Wednesday over a story he shared about LeBron James and Joel Embiid during a preseason game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers earlier this week.

The story, which Breen said on the air during the fourth quarter, was refuted on social media by James.

"I'm so disappointed how the story was interpreted," Breen told ESPN . "The whole intent was praising LeBron for already having an impact on the team's professionalism and accountability, even something so benign as a player getting on the court for practice a minute or two late."

Breen was talking on the broadcast during the 76ers' 120-97 win over the Knicks on Monday, and started sharing a story he had heard about James and Embiid. The story, Breen said later, was shared to him by "someone I trust."

"Somebody told me before the game that they were out ready to practice, and Joel Embiid walked out on the court a couple of minutes late, and LeBron let him hear it," Breen said on the broadcast.

James, however, pushed back hard. He wrote on an Instagram story on Tuesday that Embiid "ain't been late so stop the lies."

"I don't know why the person who told me the story would make it up, but if LeBron says it never happened then I believe him and apologize for putting it out there," Breen said.

While the story was quick, and feels minimal, it is reminiscent of a few years ago when Embiid was reportedly challenged by teammates for being late "for everything." Breen said that, when opting to share the story, the fact that Embiid was the one who was late wasn't even the focus for him.

"I thought it would be an interesting anecdote to show LeBron's leadership already on display in Philly," he said. "For me, the fact that the teammate was Joel was meaningless. In hindsight, I should have realized the fact that it was Joel is what made it a story. I've always been a huge fan of Joel and feel awful that it put the focus on him the way that it did."

"I thought it would be an interesting anecdote to show LeBron's leadership already on display in Philly," he said.

"For me, the fact that the teammate was Joel was meaningless. In hindsight, I should have realized the fact that it was Joel is what made it a story. I've always been a huge fan of Joel and feel awful that it put the focus on him the way that it did."

Embiid averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season, his 10th on the court for the 76ers. He has been severely limited with injuries over the past three seasons, however, and hasn't played in more than 39 games in a single campaign over that span.

Embiid and James will team up together for the first time this fall after James opted to sign with the 76ers in free agency. James' presence has, of course, added plenty of extra eyes to the organization. The Breen story is a perfect example of that.

"All I'm really focused on is getting the players to the practice floor and getting the players to the game floor," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday. "And that's what they are going to do, too. We understand. We've had meetings and we've talked about, 'Yes, there'll be outside noise, but it's up to us, I think, to manage it.'"