LeBron James hurt by Kyrie Irving’s comments on Kevin Durant’s podcast
Kyrie Irving was upset with “clickbait society” in October after he felt some of what he said on Kevin Durant’s podcast was twisted by the media.
When asked on Durant’s show who was taking the last shot for the Nets going forward, Irving said, “depends on who’s hot.”
That’s not what garnered all the attention, though.
“One thing I’ve always been comfortable with is I felt like I was the best option on every team I played for down the stretch,” Irving said. “This is the first time in my career where I could look down and be like, ‘That [expletive] can make that shot too, and he’d probably do it a lot easier.’ You know what I mean? I feel like… Okay, well, it’s not really so much deferring. Because, in past situations, if I didn’t take the last shot, I felt guilty.”
Irving also added:
“Not that I didn’t say I didn’t have the trust in my teammates, but I felt like I was the best option…”
More than a few raised an eyebrow at Irving’s comments since he played with LeBron James, winning a ring with him in Cleveland.
Irving posted a video in the wake of the blowback, stating:
“Why must it always be brotha against brotha? Why? If I’m addressing anyone, I’ll say their name,” he said. “Come one y’all, don’t listen to the false narratives. Let people live their lives. It’s just a game. Talk about the art. Talk about the sport. You talk openly. You talk freely. But, because we live in a clickbait society it becomes something bigger. You don’t have to defend it. That’s just what media is. It’s entertainment. I’m not going to let it put me against anybody anymore at any point, ’cause that’s what it’s about. We talk freely and openly, and that’s our society. Say how you feel, don’t have to put me against anyone else. It’s never been about that. It’s about the love. Peace.”
Well, it turns out James caught wind of what was said. Rather than listen to Irving’s remarks or stop reading at the headlines, James took greater action — which he detailed on the Road Trippin Podcast:
“So, when I heard the comment Kyrie made, I wanted to, one, not only find the transcript, but also call my people [to] send me the transcript,” James said. “I had heard he did it on KD’s podcast. I was a little — I was a little like, ‘Damn.’ Once I got the whole transcript, I was like, ‘Damn.’ I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, you trippin’. I’ve hit game-winning shots my whole life.’ I was not like that, 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.”
On @RoadTrippinPod — LeBron said he was “hurt a little bit” by Kyrie Irving’s recent comments. LeBron also said he wanted Kyrie to be league MVP but they never “aligned.” It’s too bad the Lakers don’t play the Nets until Feb. 18 pic.twitter.com/JlY7B4sjV9
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) December 8, 2020
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