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LeBron James reacts to Kyrie Irving's clutch comment: 'It kinda hurt me a little bit'

chris cwik
Staff writer
·3 min read

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James knows a jab when he sees one. So, when Kyrie Irving implied Kevin Durant was the first clutch shooter Irving ever played with, James couldn’t help but feel hurt.

James confirmed as much on the Road Trippin podcast, telling Richard Jefferson that Irving’s comments “kinda hurt me a little bit.”

James immediately asked for a full transcript of Irving’s comments before rushing to judge Irving. After listening to everything Irving had to say, James reflected on the three years he spent with Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James said he always supported Irving during that period.

James’ full comments:

“I was a little like, ‘Damn.’ Once I got the whole transcript, I was like, ‘Damn.’ I wasn’t like, ‘Ah, you trippin, I’ve hit game-winning shots my whole life.’ I was like, ‘Damn.’

“I played with Kyrie for three seasons. The whole time while I was there, 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. 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 kinda hurt me a little bit.”

James and Irving were teammates for three seasons in Cleveland, winning a championship during the 2015-16 NBA season. After a loss in the NBA Finals the following year, Irving wanted out of Cleveland. The team traded Irving to the Boston Celtics in the offseason. James spent one more year in Cleveland before signing with the Lakers.

James won a championship with Los Angeles last season. Irving is hoping to do the same now that he and Kevin Durant are healthy.

Kyrie Irving said Kevin Durant was Irving’s first clutch teammate

Irving’s comments came during a podcast appearance on The ETCs with Kevin Durant in October. When asked who would take the game-deciding shots for the Brooklyn Nets, Irving said it didn’t matter because he was finally playing with a teammate who could sink those clutch shots. “This is the first time in my career where I can look down and be like, 'That motherf---er can make that shot too,’” Irving said.

That certainly felt like a shot at James, who has hit plenty of game-winning shots during his career. Both Durant and Irving have been successful in that area as well, so Irving’s confidence isn’t misplaced. But to not acknowledge James felt like a major snub.

Irving and James haven’t had the best relationship since Irving asked to be traded from the Cavaliers. Things got better in 2019, when Irving called James to apologize.

While that appeared to bury the hatchet, Irving’s comments about James’ inability to hit shots in clutch situations may have re-opened old wounds. James will undoubtedly look to prove Irving wrong should the Lakers and Nets meet in the NBA Finals this year.

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