“Didn’t you have a problem playing with LeBron James in Cleveland?” - Stephen A. Smith questions Kyrie Irving after his recent comments
Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith recently promised to dedicate time to address Kyrie Irving's social media rant targeted at the media, and he did just that.
In a series of tweets, Irving called out the media for being disrespectful and trying to control public perception. He posted:
"When I see my name or brothers/sisters names getting spun through the media, I refer to all my research about who they are. Their job is to control public perception, all while profiting off disgusting, discrediting, disrespecting people's lives for entertainment."
When I see my name or my brothers/sisters names getting spun through the media, I refer to all my research about who they are.
Their job is to CONTROL PUBLIC PERCEPTION, all while profiting off discussing, discrediting, and disrespecting people’s lives for entertainment.
In an episode of ESPN's "Stephen A's World," Smith pointed out that Irving himself has dished out disrespect towards the media in the past. He then dived right into the Brooklyn Nets star's issues with LeBron James.
Smith said:
"Let's go away from the media. Didn't you have a problem playing with Lebron James in Cleveland? Didn't you go to Boston and openly admit that you did LeBron wrong because of the lack of leadership that you exhibited?
"Didn't you then proceed to point out how your leadership was flagrantly lacking when it came to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum?"
Although Smith listed many of Irving's indiscretions, his first point of call was the guard's spat with James after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving and James were teammates for three years and had a successful run on the court. However, Irving was not happy with being the sidekick as he was considered the team's best player before James' return to the franchise.
With each passing season, their relationship deteriorated, which eventually led to Irving's departure in the 2017 offseason.
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James won an NBA championship in 2016
To date, Kyrie Irving's only NBA ring came during his partnership with LeBron James in Cleveland. The All-Star guard has struggled to have any success in the playoffs since then.
James returned to Cleveland in 2014 after an incredible four-year run with the Miami Heat. Upon his return, he made the Cavs championship contenders for four consecutive seasons. However, Irving was only available for three of those seasons as he moved to the Boston Celtics in 2017.
The Cavs reached the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, facing the Golden State Warriors in each of those runs. They, however, won the title once, overturning a 3-1 deficit to beat the 2016 73-9 Warriors team.
(2016) LeBron praises Kyrie Irving during the Cavs championship parade. Then has jokes for Delly. 👑
#WITNESS https://t.co/unoIaiiTFk
In 2018, James faced Irving's Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, but the seven-time All-Star was unavailable. He was nursing a knee injury that sidelined him for the last 14 games of the season and the entire playoffs.
James was not to be denied another finals appearance as he led the Cavs to a 4-3 series win over the Celtics. Unfortunately, they were swept by the Warriors in the finals.