Getty Kyrie Irving guarding LeBron James.
Kyrie Irving stirred the pot recently when he decided to suggest that Kevin Durant is the first teammate he’s had that he feels can make clutch shots. The comments wouldn’t have been a big deal if Irving didn’t use to play with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Whether he meant it or not, most people took Irving’s comments as a shot at LeBron. He wasn’t happy with that narrative getting out of control and clapped back at the media.
“Why must it always be brother against brother? Why?” Irving asked. “If I’m addressing anyone, I’ll say their name.”
“Don’t listen to the false narratives, let people live their lives,” he continued. “It’s just a game. Talk about the art, talk about the sport, we talk openly, we talk freely.”
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“Why must it always be brother against brother? Why? If I’m addressing anyone, I’ll say their name.”
Kyrie denies taking shots at LeBron after his comments on KD’s podcast
It’s not really a secret that Irving didn’t get along with LeBron when they were in Cleveland together. If they did, they might still be playing with each other. It wasn’t much of a leap for the media to deduce that he would take a shot at LeBron.
Kendrick Perkins Goes After Irving
Irving clearly doesn’t want to reopen any issues he has with LeBron but not everybody is buying his attempt to do damage control. Former NBA player turned analyst Kendrick Perkins, who played with Irving and LeBron in Cleveland, went after Irving.
“Here’s the truth of the matter He is a bonafide hater. He is so jealous, and he envies LeBron James, that he can’t even hide it anymore,” Perkins said of Irving. “It’s seeping through his pores.
“Here it is. LeBron James sent Kyrie a life raft and a life jacket while he was drowning in Cleveland before he got there. He couldn’t even sniff the playoffs, let alone win a championship. And the disrespect that you’re showing to LeBron James when he only tried to show you the way.”
“False narratives?! You don’t have to say [LeBron’s] name, who else are you referencing?”
@RealJayWilliams and @KendrickPerkins respond to Kyrie Irving addressing his perceived shot at LeBron James.
Those are some strong words from Perkins and it’s safe to say he’s on LeBron’s side in this debate. Out of the many people in the media, Perkins would definitely have a little bit more insight on the two men. With the Nets set to have a really good squad next season, it’s not impossible to imagine we get an Irving versus LeBron Finals matchup in the near future.
LeBron Has Better Clutch Stats Than Irving
The narrative about LeBron not being all that clutch has floated around for years but it’s not backed up by fact. Kirk Goldsberry brought up the clutch stats of LeBron and compared them to Irving’s. LeBron easily comes out on top.
Kyrie v. LeBron
Clutch Shooting Stats*
Kyrie: 77-210, 36.7% | 3P: 26.6%
LeBron: 128-305, 42.0% | 3P: 37.0%
*2014-15 Through 2016-17, reg. season and playoffs when they were both in CLE. Last 5 minutes, score within 5.
h/t @StatsWilliams
Obviously, LeBron has had many more chances to make clutch shots than Irving has but his percentages are significantly better. While Irving does have one of the great clutch shots in NBA history, LeBron has been better in his career. Irving has plenty of time to improve his numbers but it’s not likely he retires with better clutch numbers than LeBron.
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