Let’s put it like it is: Kyrie Irving has had issueswith people wherever he’s gone. He called his Celtics teammates out, he didn’t report to the Nets last season to go partying, and he even had a 0-assist game just to prove a point when he played next to LeBron James.
But Kyrie’s reputation as a tough guy to deal with didn’t always precede him. In fact, it was somewhat shocking to know that he wanted to leave Cleveland as he didn’t want to play with LeBron anymore.
That story was just a preamble of what was about to come, as it was just the first time that Kyrie’s ego and his father would get in the way of his success. But, why did Kyrie didn’t want to be around LeBron? let’s find out.
NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving Was Jealous Of The Cavs’ Treatment Of LeBron James
(Transcript via The Athletic)
“Irving, a socially conscious 22-year old, wanted to do something to join the protest. He found a hook-up for a T-shirt that read, “I Can’t Breathe” — what Garner said as the policeman choked him — and wore it during pregame warm-ups. LeBron got a hold of one and wore it too. Headlines around the world trumpeted LeBron for wearing the shirt. Irving’s participation was almost an afterthought, as far as the media was concerned.
‘When LeBron returned to Cleveland, the Cavs hired his trainer, his security and his personal assistant. Irving couldn’t get the same treatment for his associates, and it bothered him. But not just him.’
According to aprevious report by The Athletic, an incident between Drederick and one of the people close to LeBron whom the Cavs hired turned ugly when Irving’s father refused to shake hands with him. LeBron eventually asked Kyrie what happened, and Irving told him Drederick believed they shouldn’t be ‘fraternizing with the enemy.'”
At the end of the day, Kyrie failed to realize that James had already earned his stripes in the league and that he was just a promising, incredibly talented player who hadn’t accomplished anything at that point in his career.
Even so, he made the most of the chance to win an NBA championship before thinking it was too much already and forcing his way out. But chances are that he would’ve never won a ring if he had decided to leave as soon as he felt overshadowed by LeBron.