You knew some were going find a way to tie this back to LeBron James as soon as the words left Kyrie Irving’s mouth.
Irving, who on Saturday had another sharp game for the Brooklyn Nets, shared an interesting sentiment following the Nets’ 134-117 bludgeoning of the Warriors. The six-time All-Star had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists against Golden State — but it wasn’t just him. Co-stars James Harden (19 points, 16 assists, eight rebounds) and Kevin Durant (20 points, six assists, five rebounds) also shone brightly. In fact, all five members of Brooklyn’s starting lineup scored at least 15 points. But it was Irving’s comment about the other two members of the Nets’ Big Three that stuck out to some fans on Twitter.
Fans React to Kyrie Irving’s Comment
Irving used his postgame press conference to praise Durant and the recently acquired Harden, who joined the Nets via four-way trade on January 14. But some fans read deeper into Irving’s message, taking it to be a thinly veiled jab at LeBron James.
“I think I’ve been waiting for this opportunity of playing next to other great players,” Irving told reporters after Saturday’s game, according to Matt Brooks of Nets Daily. “Doing the little things to win, that’s all I’m focused on.”
“I think I’ve been waiting for this opportunity of playing next to other great players… Doing the little things to win, that’s all I’m focused on.”
-Kyrie Irving
Irving played with LeBron — the 16-time All-Star, the four-time NBA Finals MVP, the four-time league MVP — on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-17. The two won an NBA title together in 2016. Kevin Love was also on that team, completing their version of a Big Three.
Here’s a clip of Irving’s comment in its entirety, via SNY:
More from Kyrie:
“It’s not a mystical conversation we had… it went quick and it went professionally”
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Wouldn’t Have Been the First Time Kyrie Took a Shot at LeBron…
During the 2020 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers, Irving went on Durant’s The ETCs Podcast and took a real, not-so-subtle shot at LeBron.
“This is the first time in my career where I can look down and be like, ‘That motherf—-r can make that shot, too,” Irving said of playing alongside Durant in Brooklyn.
LeBron got wind of that remark and, to no real surprise, didn’t take it well.
“Once I got the whole transcript, I was like, ‘Damn,'” LeBron said while appearing on the Road Trippin’ podcast with Richard Jefferson. “I wasn’t like, ‘Oh you tripping, I’ve been hitting game-winning shots my whole life.’ I was not like that. I was like, ‘Damn.’ Because I played with Kyrie for three seasons, and the whole time I was [in Cleveland], I only wanted to see him be the MVP of our league. I only cared about his success, and it just didn’t align. It just didn’t align.
“And we was able to win a championship, that’s the craziest thing,” James continued. “We were still able to win a championship, and we could never align, but I only cared about his well being, both on and off the floor. And it kind of hurt me a little.”
Damn… @kingjames addresses Kyrie’s statements made during the NBA Finals. SUBSCRIBE to get it when it drops @RoadTrippinPod @channingfrye @RealAClifton ✊🏾✊🏾. t.co/3t6kFNCOC4
Kyrie Irving’s Comment Had Nets Fans Wondering if He’d Taken Jab at LeBron James
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Kyrie Irving’s Comment Had Nets Fans Wondering if He’d Taken Jab at LeBron James