LeBron James Misses Playing With Kyrie Irving, Calls Him ‘Most Gifted’ Player In NBA History

On the latest episode of his podcast with JJ Redick, LeBron James called Kyrie Irving the “most gifted” player in NBA history. 

LeBron also said he misses playing with Irving. 

.@KingJames talks about the gifts and growth of his former teammate, Kyrie Irving.

Full episode of Mind the Game with @jj_redick drops tomorrow: https://t.co/PKXXT3EcGJ pic.twitter.com/M3uMFATEXE

— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) June 4, 2024

LeBron and Irving were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-15 to 2016-17. Cleveland made three consecutive NBA Finals during the LeBron-Irving era, winning the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors in seven games for the first ring in franchise history.  

LeBron and Irving were a deadly dynamic duo. The Cavaliers were 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 next to Irving, while Irving put up 22.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks per game alongside LeBron. 

Irving told NBA reporter Mellisa Rohlin of Fox Sports that he considered reuniting with LeBron on the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason. Uncle Drew, who was a free agent, ultimately re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks, who are in the NBA Finals. 

“Everything was considered,” Irving said. “He’s a great friend of mine, a great brother of mine. We obviously played together [in Cleveland]. Everybody knows our history. But there were so many different factors in between. When it comes to business decisions, you have to ask the GMs, the presidents why certain things didn’t work out.”

LeBron wanted the Lakers to trade for Irving last season when Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. However, the Nets traded Irving to the Mavericks. 

Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Mavericks this season while shooting 49.7% from the field, 41.1% from beyond the arc and 90.5% from the free-throw line. He and Luka Doncic will have to play at a high level for Dallas to upset the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.