Kyrie Irving reflected on his time playing with LeBron James and suggested something unbeknownst to fans caused their eventual implosion.
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James formed one of the most fearsome tandems in the NBA when they teamed up on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While an injury to Irving cost them in 2015, Kyrie and James carried the Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship, completing one of the greatest comebacks in Finals history in the process.
Stephen Curry praised Irving and James’ NBA Finals performance, saying they played at an unbelievable level.
But issues between James and Irving eventually led to their end. And as it turns out, the former Rookie of the Year hasn’t spilled all the beans on the situation just yet.
During a recent stream, Kyrie Irving spoke about his acrimonious departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.
Irving pointed to the expectations that come with being LeBron James’ teammate as a reason he left. But interestingly, Irving suggested that there was more to the situation than fans or the media know.
“When you’re playing with somebody like LeBron, it’s a different animal, and you’re automatically expected to be at the top of the charts.
“It’s gonna be a lot of narratives and a lot of s— you don’t see in front of the camera. I was just a young person trying to figure it out.
“It’s not that I disliked playing with LeBron; it was just my time to move on, and that’s what people have to accept…
“You have no idea what the f— happened. When I’m done playing, you guys will hear the real story.”
In the same stream, Kyrie also addressed not wanting to join the Cavaliers when he first came into the NBA.
Clearly, as much as Irving has respect for LeBron James, he wanted to become a star on his own terms. Fortunately, he has been able to do so in the years since.
Now a veteran, Kyrie Irving has seemingly matured and has fixed his relationship with LeBron James. While the two are no longer teammates, they have a great deal of respect for each other.
What once was a tenuous situation between two former teammates has now become a relationship between two respected colleagues.
But could they be teammates again? LeBron James is set to be a free agent next season, as the LA Lakers look to move on from him.
On top of that, Nico Harrison wants to bring LeBron to the Mavericks. The duo could be in the hunt for a championship 10 years after their pairing ended if James joins the Mavericks.
