‘LeBron James Whisperer’ picks Kyrie Irving over Dwyane Wade as “best guard pairing”
LeBron James has had some pretty elite teammates throughout his career. After carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers by himself in his early years, James infamously took his talents to South Beach. As a member of the Miami Heat, he played alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in pursuit of an NBA title.
In addition to a legend like Dwyane Wade, James was joined by the one and only Ray Allen in Miami, giving him a dream pairing of guards. Once LeBron James returned to Cleveland after winning two titles with the Heat, he found himself next to 2011 No. 1 draft pick Kyrie Irving.
There, the two brought an NBA title to the city of Cleveland and ended their championship drought. To date, debates continue to rage regarding who the best guard LeBron James ever played with was.
On the one hand, given that Dwyane Wade had won an NBA title as the leading man for the Heat years before, many believe he's the better guard. On the other hand, given Kyrie Irving's elite handles and three-point shooting, many believe he deserves the recognition as the best guard LeBron James ever played with.
Recently, longtime NBA insider Brian Windhorst weighed in, saying that Irving is the best guard LeBron has ever played with. Naturally, the comments stirred up quite a bit of controversy as fans debated which of the two was the better guard alongside James.
Brian Windhorst: “I believe the best guard pairing LeBron’s ever had is Kyrie Irving.” 👀
Do you agree? https://t.co/siL4vxVIh1
Listen to the full interview:
How Brian Windhorst gained prominence for covering LeBron James
As many fans may recall, Brian Windhorst burst onto the scene as a reporter thanks to his early coverage of LeBron James. As it turns out, the two men actually went to the same high school, with Windhorst taking note of the younger James while playing at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
As James began to make a name for himself, Windhorst was right there delivering the latest scoop. When it came time for LeBron James to make the jump to the NBA, Windhorst made the jump with him, catapulting himself into stardom in his own right. He even earned the nickname “Lebron Whisperer” due to his efforts.
Despite that, Windhorst has one regret regarding his coverage of LeBron throughout his career: Doubting rumors of James going to Miami. As he explained on JJ Redick's "Old Man & The Three" podcast, he was tipped off on James' massive move over a week before it happened but didn't believe it.
“I got tipped off that LeBron was gonna go to Miami and I rejected it. Because I said, ‘No, no, they can’t make the cap space [work], and those guys aren’t taking less,’” Windhorst said.
“I pushed it right out. I could have really followed up on it 10 days out. But I didn’t respect that yes, they could make the cap space [work] and yes, those guys would consider taking less,” he added.
Nonetheless, Windhorst has still managed to remain one of the leading experts when it comes to rumors regarding James.
(Suggested Reading: When 39-year-old MJ struck fear in the hearts of his opponents)