"Definitely one of the two best duos I've ever seen" - Tristan Thompson on winning a championship with LeBron James and 7 time All-Star
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving helped bring an NBA championship to Cleveland back in 2016. According to their former Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson, LeBron and Kyrie are one of the best duos in NBA history despite playing together for just three seasons.
In an ambush interview with TMZ Sports, Thompson was asked about Irving's recent comments about the Cavaliers winning multiple championships if he stayed in Cleveland and continued playing with James. Thompson replied:
"Definitely one of the two best duos I've ever seen."
The interviewer followed up by asking if LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were a better duo than Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe. Tristan Thompson declined to answer the question, but said this:
"Listen, when I win a 'ship with somebody, they're always my favorite."
Thompson ended the interview without answering whether the Cavaliers would have won more titles if Irving had stayed. It's one of those what-if questions in basketball. Kyrie wanted to move out of LeBron's shadow, but he failed with the Boston Celtics and is now second fiddle to Kevin Durant in Brooklyn.
Kyrie Irving regrets leaving LeBron James, Cavaliers on a sour note
Kyrie Irving recently opened up about his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2017 to get out of LeBron James' shadow. Irving was on "I am Athlete" podcast with Brandon Marshall, Pacman Jones and Shady McCoy to talk about his career.
The seven-time All-Star said that he regrets the fallout he had with LeBron and the Cavaliers. Irving was honest about being immature back then and would have loved to continue playing with "The King." The one-time NBA champ believes that they could have won multiple championships together.
"If I was in the same maturity line and understanding of who I am (now) and I look back, we definitely, definitely would've won more championships because there would've been a better man-to-man understanding about what I'm going through. I didn't know how to share my emotions. I didn't know how to do that. So instead of sharing, I isolated myself," Irving said.
Irving requested a trade out of Cleveland in the 2017 offseason and was dealt to the Boston Celtics. After two unsuccessful seasons in Boston, Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent. He has Kevin Durant now as a teammate, but has not found the success he wanted when he left the Cavaliers.
Meanwhile, LeBron reached the NBA Finals in his lone season without Irving, but the Cavaliers were swept by the Golden State Warriors in 2018. The four-time NBA champ then bolted out of Cleveland to join the LA Lakers. James won his fourth ring in 2020 and has Anthony Davis as his superstar partner.