Despite Parting Ways 7 Years Ago, 2x NBA Champion Credits Kyrie Irving for Having a Successful Career

If there’s one player who got noticed within the early championship-winning Cleveland Cavaliers team, it was Kyrie Irving. He’s since bounced from team to team before landing with the Dallas Mavericks in 2023. Over time, Uncle Drew has become a phenomenon. Teams scramble to have him on their roster. And no one is prouder over Kyrie’s success than his former coach from his Cleveland era.

Irving’s partnership with LeBron James made them a strong duo on the court. That ended with Irving’s exit to another team. But one of his former coaches is still in awe of his talent as a player.

An NBA champion heaps praise on Kyrie Irving

Two-time NBA champion Tyronn Lue joined the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff in 2014. He got his big coaching break in 2016 when he was made head coach of the team. Under him, he had NBA’s premium talent – LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. They’d win Lue his first title as a coach that same year.

That ended when Irving left Cleveland for the Boston Celtics in 2017. Rumors were rife about tension between him and James. Lue would bring up that incident, drawing parallels to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, when he appeared on All The Smoke on Showtime Basketball.

There were also reports claiming that Lue was particularly hard on Irving or that Irving didn’t mesh with his coaching style. Despite the tense situation at that time, Lue will never forget what a phenomenal player Kyrie Irving is.

“Kyrie’s a genuine person,” he said on All The Smoke. He further described Irving’s personality saying, “You guys got to be straightforward, direct with (him), you know, just tell (him) what you want, what you need, and he’s going to listen and do that.”

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When Irving was on the market for a new team earlier this year, Lue expressed his desire to coach him again. However, Irving never came to the Clippers. He instead signed with the Dallas Mavericks.

Coach Lue is not over the Kyrie-LeBron split

Lue refuted claims of tension between him and Kyrie and said they have a “great relationship.” Months earlier, Lue expressed how he felt after Uncle Drew and King James’ exits from the Cavaliers. Their split crippled the team and Lue was let go as coach.

On All The Smoke, Lue showed he was not over the breakup of the formidable offensive team that Kyrie and LeBron made. He was similarly not over Shaq and Kobe’s split during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nonetheless, Lue credits his own success to Irving, “If it was it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today. Like that big shot, man, that’s solidified my career as a coach winning the championship and so I always, you know, forever love him for that.”

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Lue has seen Irving grow exponentially in his career since leaving the Cavaliers. To him, Kyrie Irving is the one player with “no weaknesses.” 

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