Of all the people to chime in on the news that Kyrie Irving called LeBron James to apologize on Wednesday was one of the people who had a front-row seat for the duo's storied -- and sometimes tumultuous -- relationship.
Hours after Irving revealed that he had called James earlier in the week to apologize for the way he received the 4-time MVP's leadership during their time in Cleveland, J.R. Smith took to Twitter to commend his former teammate for his actions.
"That’s HOW YOU GROW," Smith wrote in a post retweeting a clip of Irving's postgame press conference following the Boston Celtics' 117-108 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
It was in that press conference that Irving revealed he had called and apologized to James after publicly calling out his some of his younger Celtics teammates following a three-game losing streak.
"This was a big deal for me, because I had to call 'Bron and tell him I apologized for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips, and I wanted everything at my threshold," Irving told reporters. "I wanted to be the guy that led us to a championship. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to be all that, and the responsibility of being the best in the world and leading your team is something that is not meant for many people.
"LeBron was one of those guys who came to Cleveland and tried to show us how to win a championship. It was hard for him, and sometimes getting the most out of the group is not the easiest thing in the world."
Smith three seasons playing with James and Irving in Cleveland and served as the starting shooting guard on three consecutive NBA Finals teams alongside the duo. But while Irving is now in Boston and James has since headed to Los Angeles, Smith remains without a basketball home following a mutual parting with the Cavs, who are actively trying to trade the 33-year-old swingman.
For the most part, Smith has remained silent since his departure from Cleveland in November. But while he may no longer be with his current teammates, we do know that he's keeping tabs on his former ones.