After LeBron James was full of compliments for him during a recent episode of his podcast with JJ Reddick, Kyrie Irving has responded to the NBA legend’s praise and finally detailed what went wrong between the pair in Cleveland almost a decade ago.
Speaking at media day for the 2024 NBA Finals on Wednesday — which sees Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks take on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics — Irving actually took some responsibility for the denigration of their relationship, saying that his age played a role in his attitude towards playing with LeBron (the year after winning the NBA Finals with Cleveland, Irving demanded a trade and was sent to Boston).
“I mean, I have a great reaction. It’s appreciated,” Irving said of LeBron heaping praise on him on his Mind the Game podcast with J.J. Reddick.
“A lot of gratitude there as well. Obviously, I am at a different age, different place in my life. So is he,” he said. “I think we have both been able to mature and really appreciate what we got a chance to accomplish. I think there were some things that got in the way of our relationship when I was younger.”
While speaking of Irving’s maturation into the player we see today in Dallas, LeBron said he’s “so proud” of Kyrie and that he’s angry they aren’t teammates anymore.
“I have so many words to praise Kyrie that I end up with absolutely none because he’s the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen,” James said. “He has the best gifts I’ve ever seen of any NBA player.”
“I’m so f—— happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth whatever the case may be. And at the same time, I’m so f—— mad at the same time that I’m not his running mate anymore,” LBJ stated.
The Lakers certainly tried to reunite LeBron with Kyrie as they offered the Brooklyn Nets a package of Russell Westbrook and two future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 when Irving forced his way out of New York in 2023.
Heading into the 2024 NBA Finals, Kyrie and the Mavs are underdogs against the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals tips off on Thursday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m. EST at the TD Garden in Boston.
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