Kyrie Irving believes a reunion with LeBron James is possible
Kyrie Irving believes a reunion with LeBron James is possible and that James made a great choice selecting him to play on his All-Star team.
Appearing on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, former number one overall pick Kyrie Irving said he wouldn’t rule out a reunion with LeBron James.
"“I mean, in professional sports, anything can happen. So, you never know,” Irving said."
This doesn’t mean that Irving wants to play with James, although he has consistently praised James’ basketball abilities and is genuinely appreciative of the time they spent as teammates.
Make no mistake about it though, the Cleveland Cavaliers are unlikely to see Irving team up with James in Wine and Gold again.
Irving, who is currently playing for the 40-19 Boston Celtics, asked to be traded from the Cavaliers in the offseason. While there are conflicting reports on the matter, it would appear that at least part of the reason Irving asked for a trade was because he wanted to be on a team without James; he wanted to test his strengths as a player and expand his game.
Quote transcribed by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
"“Having just a tremendously great player like that come to your team, and you see yourself being one of those great players eventually, and then he ends up joining it, and then now you have to almost take a step back and observe,” Irving said. “Finding that balance is one of the toughest things to do because you have so much belief and confidence in yourself. … Selfishly, I always wanted to just show everyone in the whole entire world exactly who I was every single time.”"
This season, Irving has raved about his current head coach’s intellect and has been a much more complete player in Boston than he was in Cleveland. Then again, Irving was never asked — by the coaching staff, at least — to be a complete player in Cleveland.
For these two reasons, Irving’s need to test himself and his desire to play for a coach he can connect with, a reunion in Cleveland is unlikely.
Irving, however, will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2019-2020 season if he doesn’t opt-out of his contract next season. James will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2018-2019 season if he doesn’t opt-out of his contract this season. That’s one way such a reunion would be possible: in free agency.
For now, fans will just have to reminisce about the dynamic duo while watching YouTube videos and when Irving finds himself on Team LeBron for the All-Star Game. Host Jimmy Kimmel asked Irving about James selecting him on his team, to which Irving responded with “I feel like it was a great choice.”
Irving and James have seemingly shared genuine embraces after their matchups this season. Looking at the two, teammates for three of the most amazing seasons in team history, it’s hard not feel the fuzzies if you’re a fan.
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It’s also hard to say they’ll never be teammates again.