Kyrie Irving and LeBron James played together for the Cleveland Cavaliers and helped them win the NBA title for the first time in 2016. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets’ ace discussed his experience playing alongside LeBron. Their stint in Ohio apparently included a spectacular 1-on-1 match between the two former teammates.?
On a recent edition of the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast, the Nets guard addressed the 1-on-1 matchup against the King. However, Irving preferred not to reveal all the specifics.
Who do you think won the 1-on-1 between Kyrie and LeBron?
(Via @IAMATHLETEpod)pic.twitter.com/StaYkNajVR
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 16, 2022
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?I was coming in every day like, ?Yo, I’d be better than you, you, you, you, you, you. I don?t care, y?all can line up, we can go 1v1 right now,? Irving said. ?That energy was me every day. Me going against ?Bron, we played 1-on-1 one time?.by the way, I?m not gonna tell y?all who won or lost.?
Kyrie’s Houdini-esque ball handling and outstanding acrobatic finishing capabilities make him one of the league’s top 1-on-1 players. Stopping LeBron James in open court, on the other hand, is one of the most difficult things to do on a basketball court.?
We’d never find out who won the mouthwatering duel since Irving refused to spill all the beans. One thing is certain; both players were stone-cold assassins on the court during their time together. So that had to have been an extremely close contest.??
Twitter reacts to Kyrie refusing to disclose who won the game
While Irving declined to reveal who won the 1-on-1?matchup, Twitter had its own assessment.
https://twitter.com/osicash/status/1526358957966737409
Y’all know Lebron used to lose 1v1 to Michael Beasley right?
— Derrick💸 (@bigbucket33) May 17, 2022
Anyone saying Kyrie doesn’t understand how 1v1 works. LeBron is WAY too big for Kyrie. NBA players usually play make it take it. And the second a guard misses, the big is just gonna back him down over and over again.
— Jackson Bailey (@ira_jax) May 17, 2022
Bron made him sign a NDA before the game
— deekdeuce (@DeekyMeatv2) May 17, 2022
Depends who got ball first fr. Ion see neither of them stopping each other unless bron tryna shoot
— gb (@steelersboy82) May 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/aj7157/status/1526460498610364416
Kyrie is an elite scorer but he can’t do nothing with Bron it’s a horrible matchup
— Geno from Jerz🪬 (@ThaRealVincee) May 17, 2022
Kyrie Irving addressed the speculations swirling around him and LeBron James
In addition to the one-on-one showdown, Kyrie also addressed rumors surrounding him and LeBron James.?
READ MORE: LeBron James Reveals How He Unleashed His Inner Shaquille O?Neal During a 1v1 With Son Bronny James
The Brooklyn star cleared the air around him demanding a trade to leave Cleveland. Initially, it was reported that Kyrie and LeBron had a rift and would never play alongside. However, the point guard subsequently stated that he opted to leave since the team had other ambitions.
Kyrie Irving responds to fans asking why did he ask for a trade from the Cavs while playing with Lebron James pic.twitter.com/wGHdqf7zRx
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BlogTV) May 16, 2022
When questioned about his reported feud with James, Kyrie responded:?
“We gotta be cool as brothers, whether we’re playing together or whether we’re not playing together. We have to protect one another because it will seep into family life where people will really think that we don’t like each other based on us not being able to play together anymore. You know what I mean, ‘You asked for a trade, so you must hate that dude.’ That’s not true. So I had to defend myself. He had to defend himself. It was like I’m trying to put that to bed so I could continue to build my own legacy.”?
◻️ The Block
◻️ The Shot
◻️ The 3-1 comebackBron, Kyrie and the Cavs made history against the Warriors three years ago today. pic.twitter.com/vZp4kPA9vP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 19, 2019
WATCH THIS STORY: Top 5 Moments When Jayson Tatum Used Kobe Bryants Signature Move During The Game And Left Fans Mesmerized
Kyrie and James only had three seasons alongside, yet they produced one of the most unforgettable championships in modern professional sports history. They brought glory to the city of Cleveland following a 53-year championship drought in any sport. Kyrie and James are still two of the finest players in the league today, despite taking different routes to success.
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Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in Cleveland
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were the backbones of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship squad, which defeated the 73-win Golden State Warriors. During their spell with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving and James were formidable forces to be reckoned with.?
However, both didn’t last long as teammates. They had just been together for three years when the star point guard requested a move from the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the tandem had remarkable success during that time, recording three straight Finals appearances and capturing the Larry O’Brien trophy following a historical 3-1 Finals turnaround in 2016.
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Irving demanded a trade one year after delivering glory to the city of Cleveland. He was eventually traded to the Boston Celtics, where he played with rising stars such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.?