Kyrie Irving has been a big focus of these playoffs as he has helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Irving, of course, hit one of the greatest shots in NBA history back in 2016 as he and current Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James lifted the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first ever NBA Championship.
There are some who feel that Irving was the best fit as LeBron’s running mate. The Lakers star recently spoke on the talented point guard, saying how he is mad he’s no longer his teammate and calling Irving the most gifted basketball player he has ever seen.
As Irving took the podium prior to the NBA Finals getting set to begin, he was of course asked about LeBron’s comments and was appreciative of everything his former teammate had to say, while also acknowledging his ability to get the media turned up, via NBA:
“Great reaction. It’s appreciated, it’s a lot of gratitude there as well. Obviously I’m at a different age and place in my life. So is he and I think we’ve both been able to mature and really appreciate what we got a chance to accomplish. Think there were some things that got in the way of our relationship when I was a little bit younger. Now that I’m able to vocalize how I feel as a man and be comfortable and stand on my square and my beliefs and where I’m coming from, I feel like our relationship is different because of that now.
“Definitely miss him. Playing out there, just making things easier being able to run up and down the floor and just throw the ball to somebody like that, throw it in the air just as athletic as they come. But just the mutual respect for what we brought to the table. His leadership, my leadership style I think it meshed very well and I was learning a lot from him that I’m appreciative for the rest of my life. When he says comments like that I just think back to just us having those moments where we’re down in a series or up in a series and we’re really demanding greatness from each other. And then off the court our families just meshing well.
“Definitely think about those times, but now we’re here in the present where we’re able to reflect, but also now I’m at this stage and able to use some of the formulas that I was taught from him and some of the great teachers that have come before me. I feel like I’ve been built for this moment because I’ve gone through some of the things I’ve gone through in my past with some of the guys that have transcended the game. So shoutout to Bron for all that. He knows how to stir up a media storm and get everybody in here talking about us. But I’m looking forward to the future and getting this series started now.”
As Irving noted, both he and LeBron are at different stages of their lives now and are able to better reflect on what they accomplished together. He admitted that there were some things that hurt their relationship at that time, but things are different now and he is grateful for what he learned from his former teammate.
In some ways, this is similar to the relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, who infamously had issues during their time with the Lakers together. But as time went on, they grew a much greater appreciation for just how great each was individually and as a duo.
For now, Kyrie is focused on the NBA Finals and winning his second NBA Championship and LeBron will undoubtedly be rooting for his former teammate to accomplish that goal.
Lakers’ LeBron James shouts out Jaylen Brown after winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP
Though LeBron James is likely pulling for his former teammate, he still has respect for Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks’ opponent in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics. Celtics star Jaylen Brown took home the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and, even though the Lakers-Celtics rivalry remains strong, LeBron still felt it necessary to shout out the young star.
James took to social media, giving respect to Brown for his accomplishment, one well deserved and in the midst of him not making an All-NBA team which many felt he deserved. The Lakers star told Brown to ‘keep going’ while also calling him a young king.
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