Letâs put it like it is: Kyrie Irving has had issueswith people wherever heâs gone. He called his Celtics teammates out, he didnât 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 Kyrieâs reputation as a tough guy to deal with didnât always precede him. In fact, it was somewhat shocking to know that he wanted to leave Cleveland as he didnât 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 Kyrieâs ego and his father would get in the way of his success. But, why did Kyrie didnât want to be around LeBron? letâs find out.
NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving Was Jealous Of The Cavsâ Treatment Of LeBron James
(Transcript via The Athletic)
âIrving, 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, âI Canât Breatheâ â what Garner said as the policeman choked him â 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. Irvingâs participation was almost an afterthought, as far as the media was concerned.
âWhen LeBron returned to Cleveland, the Cavs hired his trainer, his security and his personal assistant. Irving couldnât get the same treatment for his associates, and it bothered him. But not just him.â
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 Irvingâs father refused to shake hands with him. LeBron eventually asked Kyrie what happened, and Irving told him Drederick believed they shouldnât be âfraternizing with the enemy.'â
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 hadnât 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 wouldâve never won a ring if he had decided to leave as soon as he felt overshadowed by LeBron.
