LeBron James recently discussed Kyrie Irving and his own personal feelings about being unable to play alongside his former teammate. As most NBA fans should be aware, Kyrie Irving is currently playing with the Dallas Mavericks and is just 4 wins away from winning a coveted championship. Some will know that Kyrie began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and achieved a great deal while playing alongside LeBron James.
Since King James’ NBA season has already come to an end, he has been watching Irving and the Dallas Mavericks go deeper into the postseason with a mixture of emotions. During that latest episode of his ongoing podcast with former NBA star JJ Redick, LeBron broke down what it was like to have Kyrie Irving on his team. Considering that Luka Doncic is likely to be feeling the same, a closer look is required.
LeBron James continues to have enormous respect for Kyrie Irving
Fans who have been following LeBron’s career in the league will know that he initially left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat and won 2 NBA titles with the Heat. Upon returning to the Cavs, LeBron realized that they had drafted Kyrie Irving. Having a young star in the making such as Irving on the roster greatly helped LeBron continue to dominate the Eastern Conference for several years.
Although a narrative was created indicating that Kyrie and LeBron parted ways on bad terms, there really is no truth to those notions. In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers star had nothing but praise for Kyrie when discussing him recently.
“I’m so f*cking mad that I am not his running mate anymore… He’s the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen.”
– LeBron James on Kyrie Irving
(Via @mindthegamepod / h/t @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 4, 2024
“I’m so f*cking mad that I am not his running mate anymore…I just remember those times. To have a guy like Kyrie Irving as the ultimate wildcard. That’s like having a draw 4 in your hand every time someone deals you cards in UNO…”
The comparison that LeBron made is undoubtedly an impressive one. Since he recalled the times and success that he shared with Kyrie Irving, it is important for fans to know what the duo managed to accomplish when they were teammates.
What did Kyrie Irving and LeBron James accomplish together?
An argument could be made that a prime Kyrie and LeBron were one of the best duos ever. They made it to the NBA Finals for 3 straight years from 2015-2017. They even made NBA history by being the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win a series.
If anyone knows what Kyrie Irving is capable of doing, it would be LeBron James. As Irving helped Luka Doncic and the Mavs make the NBA Finals, there is no denying that LeBron felt a mixture of happiness and sadness in the process.