Kyrie Irving Admits He Misses Playing With LeBron James Too

Kyrie Irving told NBA reporters that he misses playing with LeBron James too. 

LeBron said on his podcast, “Mind The Game,” with JJ Redick that he missed playing with Irving. 

“There were some things that got in the way of our relationship when I was a little bit younger … definitely miss him.”

Kyrie responds to LeBron saying he misses playing with him 💯 pic.twitter.com/2q6SUHXYFi

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 5, 2024

Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks are facing Irving’s old team, the Boston Celtics. 

LeBron and Irving played together on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-15 to 2016-17. The Cavaliers lost the 2015 Finals to the Golden State Warriors, won the 2016 Finals versus the Warriors and lost the 2017 Finals against the Warriors. 

The Cavaliers are the only team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals. 

Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers in the offseason of 2017. He was traded to the Celtics and his relationship with LeBron became strained. 

However, LeBron and Irving’s relationship became good again a few years ago, so much so that the two superstars wanted to reunite last offseason. 

Irving, who was an unrestricted free agent, tried to recruit LeBron to the Mavericks, but LeBron was committed to staying with the Lakers. The leading scorer in NBA history wanted the Lakers to sign Irving in free agency, but Uncle Drew re-signed with the Mavericks. 

The Cavaliers went 132-51 in the regular season when LeBron and Irving played. LeBron averaged 25.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks alongside Irving, while Irving put up 22.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks per game next to LeBron. 

According to NBA insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers aggressively tried to acquire Irving from the Brooklyn Nets last season after Irving requested a trade. The Lakers’ offer centered on Russell Westbrook and two future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.

LeBron is a four-time champion, while Irving is a one-time champion. It will be fascinating to see if Irving can win his second title.