A History of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving's Complicated Relationship
This is how LeBron James and Kyrie Irving's relationship has played out over their careers.
When we think about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ dynamic duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, it’s hard to believe three years have already gone by. They’ve been to three straight NBA Finals together, and even won a title for The Land in 2016. They’ve brought out some of the best basketball in each other, with LeBron’s supernatural passing and basketball IQ aiding Kyrie’s growth into one of the game’s elite scorers.
As a pair, there hasn’t been a more devastating force since LeBron re-signed with the Cavs in 2014. That’s why it’s even harder to believe that Kyrie wants out of Cleveland, and furthermore, doesn’t want to play with LeBron anymore.
But, as ESPN reported over the past week, that’s Kyrie’s wish, and the 25-year-old star point guard will probably get it, too. And just recently, The Athletic reported that he wasn’t even speaking to the organization, full-stop. With LeBron’s Robin intent on leaving, we’re looking back at the moments that have lead us to this contentious point.
When we think about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ dynamic duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, it’s hard to believe three years have already gone by. They’ve been to three straight NBA Finals together, and even won a title for The Land in 2016. They’ve brought out some of the best basketball in each other, with LeBron’s supernatural passing and basketball IQ aiding Kyrie’s growth into one of the game’s elite scorers.
As a pair, there hasn’t been a more devastating force since LeBron re-signed with the Cavs in 2014. That’s why it’s even harder to believe that Kyrie wants out of Cleveland, and furthermore, doesn’t want to play with LeBron anymore.
But, as ESPN reported over the past week, that’s Kyrie’s wish, and the 25-year-old star point guard will probably get it, too. And just recently, The Athletic reported that he wasn’t even speaking to the organization, full-stop. With LeBron’s Robin intent on leaving, we’re looking back at the moments that have lead us to this contentious point.
June 23, 2011: LeBron Leaves, But in Comes Kyrie
Let’s not forget this fact: If LeBron doesn’t leave Cleveland for Miami in the summer of 2010, the Cavs don’t get the chance to draft Kyrie Irving. The season immediately following LeBron’s departure, the Cavs went from the East’s best team to winning a conference-low 19 games. They flat-out sucked, so they won the NBA Draft Lottery and took Kyrie No. 1 overall. And without Kyrie’s superstar talents, one can argue that LeBron wouldn’t have even come back to Cleveland in 2014.
April 4, 2014: The First Signs of Trouble in Cleveland
In the four years between LeBron leaving and coming back to the Cavs, the franchise was left to Kyrie. He continued to shine as a developing star, but the Cavs couldn’t put together a young core around him, and endured 215 losses in that times pan. The Cavs had another concern on their hands too: with Kyrie’s rookie contract set to expire soon, ESPN reported that he just wasn’t feeling the vibe in Cleveland. Here’s what ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said at the time:
“The truth is [Kyrie's] camp has been putting out there for years - years - that he doesn't want to be in Cleveland. That they don't want him in Cleveland.”
July 11, 2014: The King Comes Home
If Kyrie was salty about his time in Cleveland, he didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Just over three months after ESPN’s report, LeBron surprised the NBA universe and announced he’d sign with the Cavs. This obviously changed everything: Kyrie wouldn’t have the pressure of being the franchise’s go-to guy, and an older LeBron could reign over the Cavs with a young star in Kyrie to run and gun with.
But think about it from Kyrie’s perspective, too. He already felt like he wasn’t getting what he wanted in Cleveland, whether that be treatment or status. But still, he ended up signing a contract extension with the Cavs, not knowing that LeBron would barge in 10 days later. Suddenly, he was someone else’s sidekick. He never recruited LeBron—LeBron came to him, and that’s not necessarily what Kyrie signed up for.
Nov. 5, 2014: LeBron Sons Kyrie
LeBron James is a basketball perfectionist, and he consistently demands the most his teammates have to offer. He’s a very direct leader. When you’re on LeBron’s team, you’re playing his game to win, because LeBron’s just that great. But after an early season loss to the Jazz, LeBron didn’t think his point guard was buying in fully.
Yes, Kyrie dropped 34 points that game, but the team lost, and he didn’t record a single assist. LeBron thought that was unacceptable from his point guard, and lectured him after the game. Kyrie said it went down like this, according to Cleveland.com:
"He came up to me and was like, 'One, you can never have another game with no assists. You can damn near have just one, two, three, but you can't have zero.' And I was like, 'All right, cool, it won't happen again.' And it hasn't happened since that game."
June 19, 2016: The Cavs Win Their First NBA Title
LeBron and Kyrie did it! They overcame a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit against the vaunted Golden State Warriors, not to mention a do-or-die Game 5, and became the first pair of teammates to score over 40 points each in a Finals game. They were absolutely unstoppable:
Suddenly, everything felt right in the world. This is probably the happiest the two have ever been together. For a summer, basketball love came back to Cleveland.
July 21, 2017: Kyrie Wants Out
And on this day, the NBA universe lost its damn mind. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was first to report the news, saying that Kyrie had requested a trade. His main reasons are straightforward: 1) He’s done being someone else’s sidekick or secondary option. 2) He feels like he’s not getting enough superstar treatment from the organization. 3) Well, he just doesn’t want to play with LeBron anymore.
The news blindsided LeBron, who was reportedly very upset by it. So upset, that Kyrie thinks LeBron leaked the trade request out of spite.
July 22, 2017: LeBron Throws Shade on Snapchat
One day after the Kyrie trade news broke, LeBron posted a video of himself jamming out to a few new tracks from Meek Mill, one of his longtime favorite artists. With his head shaking and a brim covering his eyes, LeBron vibed out to a verse about loyalty. In particular, this line was perceived as a shot at Kyrie: "The streets love me with a heavy heart/N***** say they with you when they really not."
Watch and listen closely:
July 25, 2017: The Petty Wars Are Underway
Just a few days ago, Kyrie unfollowed LeBron on Instagram. You can brush it off as nothing, sure, but when has an unfollow ever been a good thing between two people in a relationship? Never. You unfollow someone when you don’t fuck with them anymore. Kyrie did just that.