“When I look back on what I was going through at that time, I wish I did" - Kyrie Irving opens up on major regret involving LeBron James during his stint with Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving acknowledged that his immaturity and somewhat strained relationship with LeBron James cost the Cleveland Cavaliers multiple championship opportunities. He admitted guilt and regret over not speaking with the four-time MVP before departing for Boston in 2017.
Kyrie Irving was a guest on the "I AM ATHLETE" show wherein he discussed a host of topics such as his Cleveland days, the Boston Celtics experiment, Kobe Bryant's impact on his life and especially LeBron James.
He mentioned that he should have spoken to James beforehand and discussed their future together. Irving shared:
"We didn’t talk during that time. When I look back on what I was going through at that time, I wish I did, because it would’ve been a good understanding of what the future will hold for both of us and we know how much power we both had together.
"Me and him in the league together running Cleveland, and then being able to put a better team together every single year would’ve definitely been worth it."
Kyrie Irving admitted that if he had maintained the partnership with LeBron James, the Cavaliers could have built a better team together every season. He also acknowledged that the idea of running the league alongside James in Cleveland would have been worth it.
Kyrie Irving regrets how he exited Cleveland, not having relationship with LeBron James netsdaily.com/2022/5/17/2309… https://t.co/vdv1SZ4X1J
Irving also admitted that he was remorseful he decided to leave the Cavaliers because the media and fans constantly criticized him for it.
He started to question his own decisions, and it took him roughly six years to now finally be comfortable with his choice. He mentioned that he can now talk about it and not care about what others think. Kyrie Irving continued:
"I didn’t have a sense of how to manage that when all the media’s coming after me. ... It took me six years to even talk about it openly because I’m comfortable with my decision.
"Before I was questioning, ‘Yo, did I do the the right thing? I left one of the best players in the game.’ And I started listening to that.
"That’s where the mental health comes into play, because when you start believing what other people say about you, you become a shell of yourself."
Kyrie Irving admitted that the decision to leave one of the best players on the planet wasn't an easy one. As arrogant as the media wanted to portray him, Irving did, in fact, second-guess his choice to join the Celtics.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving could have won more championships if not for Irving's immaturity
Kyrie Irving admitted that his immaturity and lack of emotional availability potentially cost the Cleveland Cavaliers championships. He believes his duo with LeBron James could have run the league for a long time. Irving continued on "I AM ATHLETE," saying:
"If I was in the same maturity line and understanding of who I am, 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. I just started pouring myself more into the game — I had one of my better seasons, but I wasn’t connecting with everybody as much during the championship year."
Kyrie Irving: My immaturity, isolation cost Cavaliers 'more championships' trib.al/ktyktZn https://t.co/rAaRBKtXA5
The LeBron-Kyrie duo was one of the best in basketball. They led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a historic 3-1 comeback. This was in the 2016 NBA Finals against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors with the reigning two-time MVP in Stephen Curry.
Irving and James were also favored to win the 2015 title until Irving got hurt in Game 1 of the series. The two of them could have certainly figured out a way to get better. The Cavaliers returned to the finals in 2018 without Irving as well.
Irving's decision to depart in 2017 eventually led to LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles the following summer and forced the Cavaliers into a rebuild.